A Map to the Turian Heart
by VNF118
Summary: Based just after the events of ME1. A Turian officer on board the Cruiser, Trianis, is left in charge of a Human exchange Engineer. Having lost her mother in the Relay 314 Incident, she has grown a hatred for humans and having been put in charge of one makes her uncomfortable. But this Human is... different.
1. Chapter 1

**This story is written because I took inspiration from other stories like this. This is a Mass Effect fanfiction, if you hadn't figured it out by the title. I play Mass Effect because I see it as another Star Wars, if you get me. Anyway, I saw many fanfictions for Mass Effect and I found a particular story that really wasn't often written. The Turians, I find them very interesting and their story sounds like something worth writing about and closely human. So I decided to write a Turian Romance with a Human.**

 **I take inspiration from two authors who have done a great job at writing well written stories of this kind. They are Xeno-Sapian: A Matter of Race and Character; and Sol-Vikar: Mass Effect Survival Part 1. Both are really good stories and I suggest reading them.**

 **Some ideas, I took from them (if that's okay… hopefully) and I combined them with mine to create my own unique story. This story is based off of an Interspecies Exchange Program where both species, well, basically hand over one of their own from a specific field and so does the other side. However, there is a twist to it.**

 **Anyway, I'll shut up so you can get reading and find out for yourself. Enjoy**

 **Mass Effect is owned by Bio ware and the technical division of EA.**

Chapter 1

 **Tasale System, Turian vessel PFS Trianis, Planetary Orbit; Illium – 07:00 P.M. -22** **nd** **February 2183 CE**

Annali had never talked to a Human before and neither had she wanted to in her lifetime.

Her only orders were to wait at the airlock for the Human vessel to rendezvous with the small flotilla of two Cruisers. As soon as they entered the system, the ship would dock with the Trianis and then the Victrition, which was the other Turian Cruiser, to exchange their engineers with hers. She wasn't fond of the idea of handing over one their best engineers to some fur balls who just recently figured out the science of Mass Effect technology. After the Relay 314 Incident, both Humanity and Turians were very cautious of each other and didn't really speak much about or to each other. The Council had to broker a peace treaty between the two sides before things got more intense. If there was one thing Turians hated besides dealing with a drunk Vorcha, it was getting nailed to the wall just like that and not getting pulled down from it. _I don't get why we're even working with them if we hate each other so much_ she thought to herself. The Turian blockade at Shanxi was easily wiped out by the Human fleet, in just a few hours they had retaken their planet and kicked the Turians out the door. Her mother was part of the occupational force on the Human colony. She had only heard that the occupied planet was under attack but she never expected her mother to be part of the piles of Turian bodies left on the planet.

She received the news while she was playing with her sister at home on Palaven. Her mother had been executed by the Alien forces, her body remained on the planet until the Hierarchy retook the planet. She still remembered the tearful sobs from her father and older sister as they wept for her mother. When she became old enough she enlisted into the Turian Special Forces to become one the most elite soldiers in the Meritocracy. Which she did.

Little to her disappointment, the Council had already established a peace treaty with the Systems Alliance and now the two governments want to make amends by working together by helping better understand each other more. Their place in the galactic society was growing more and more so she had taken her time to get to know more about Human psychology little by little understood them more and more. However, she was still wary of them and didn't really approached any of the humans.

 _It's not that I don't want to talk to them, it's just… I'm not really entirely sure as to how I should even approach them without my thoughts getting in the way. Well, now I'm going to talk to one of them. All Humans either speak professionally or casually; I could try casual- no no no, maybe I could act professionally? Represent Turian sophistication and competence, yeah let's roll with that._

"Hey Annie, you're not thinking of some human pick-up lines are ya?" Ma' Rice asks. His dumb, yet ironic, question bringing out an irritated grunt from Annali.

"Can you not call me that, I'm having a hard enough time trying to block you out," Annali mumbles, half hoping he didn't hear that last part.

"You in one of your moods… again? Usually when we're doing these Interspecies Exchange Programmes you're always unbiased when you meet newbies. Is it with the Humans?" he asks sitting down next to her. She's facing the window out the airlock, looking at the planet above and trying to admire it's beauty, "Hello?" he shakes Annali snapping her out of her trance.

"Huh, Oh yeah, yeah, I totally agree" Annali says hoping she answered whatever Ma' Rice was asking. His brow plates lower down for an annoyed look. Guess she didn't.

"Annali why are you so… on edge right now? Is it with who we're exchanging with?" he asks lifting a brow plate. She looks away from him, not wanting to answer the question.

"*sigh* Yes it's them. Out of all the other ships to exchange with, out of the entire Turian fleet, why did it have to be this ship?" she asks looking over to Ma 'Rice, "Tell me why?" she asks reflecting the question back to him.

"Hey, on the bright side it's not just us. The Victrition is also exchanging their engineers for the Human Vessel's engineers. Besides, I hear their vessel isn't even as big as ours," Ma 'Rice assures her. She relaxes a little until the Captain's voice sounds over the speakers.

" _ **Alliance vessel entering the system, docking crews ready for docking procedure!"**_ Ma 'Rice gets up and walks over to the comms to respond.

"Yes Captain, docking crew ready for procedure. Liaison Officer Veren is here for introduction!" Ma 'Rice responds.

" _ **Good, Stand by for further instructions!"**_ The Captain advises then cuts out. Ma 'Rice walks back to Annali and grabs his Vindicator rifle from the wall. Annali sighs and walks away from the airlock entrance then sealing it shut. Moving over to the right of the door she looks out the window, expecting the Human vessel to appear at any minute.

"Don't worry Annali, it's probably a frigate coming…"

*BOOM*

A large vessel appears in the distance, three times the size of the Turian cruisers, flying in between the two cruisers and aligning with the Trianis. The large Systems Alliance Symbol glows on the side of the ship, it's guns pointing away from the cruiser but still looking weapons ready. The Captains voice sounds again over the speakers.

" _ **Alliance Dreadnought is ready for docking procedure! Docking Team you know what to do,"**_ Annali looks over to Ma 'Rice, his face expressionless and his mouth open.

"A frigate huh?" Annali asks. Ma 'Rice trying to come up with an answer.

"Hey it was just a guess," he reputes and takes walks over to the terminal. The 'Umbilical', Ma 'Rice liked to call it, extends from the ship and connects with the Dreadnought's side port. A small beep goes off signaling the successful connection with the ship, "The light is green, opening airlock hatch," Annali states and hits the button initiating the lock pressurization procedure. She looks inside the window from the hatch door but can't see anything due to the air pressurizing on the other side and blocking the view. Finally, the hissing stops and the lights dim red for a few seconds then switch green.

 _Alright, let's see who we have now_ Annali thinks to herself and overrides the lock. The door opens and before she can say something, she is face to face with their new engineer. She has to look up slightly to meet his brown eyes, the tallest Human she has ever seen. His Thorax was wide and bigger than a Turian's, his arms well-built and everything else showing he works out. His bags not making much of a difference to his ability to handle the weight of them; a result of staying in peek physical shape. His body fills up the Alliance shirt and his Grey Cargo pants giving him a very, appealing look, despite her races more militaristic uniform. Making eye contact the human flashes a friendly smile and takes Annali's hand without her consent.

"Hey, how are you, how you doin? The names Max, Max Tereshkova; Combat Engineer Private 1st class with the SSV Kilimanjaro," Max says while shaking her hand then letting go and saluting. Annali doesn't say anything for a while, looking at her hand before she nods and regains her composure.

"Ahem, I'm good thank you. Annali Veren; Liaison Officer of the Trianis. I will be working with you as part of the Interspecies Exchange Programme. We are excited to have you working with us for the next few months," Annali says. Max starts to look around the ship, already his eagerness is showing.

"Man, I never thought I would see the inside of an alien ship- I mean I'm not saying you guys are, I'm not entirely familiar with the ship," Max says trying to be as polite as possible.

"Don't worry you'll get to know the ship as our engineers will yours. And for the record, we're not the aliens; this is a mainly Turian vessel so it's kind of flipped on how you see it," Annali clarifies the situation. Max gives an odd look of confusion but nods at her meaning.

"Oh I see, I'm the Alien. I totally get it, a lot of people have been giving me the look of 'what the hell is that?' back on the Citadel. And I can't say I haven't given the same look at them either," Max says in a cheerful mood. His statement making Annali smile, but in her mind she's mentally kicking herself for falling for one of the Humans jokes. Tossing the thought away she continues the introduction.

"Well, we all have our impressions of somebody. If you will, you will follo-"

"WAIT HOLD UP" Someone shouts in the Umbilical, cutting her off. She looks behind the massive Human to see a smaller nimbler human run to them with a large Backpack and two duffel bags. His choice of clothing giving the impression he is of lower rank and different profession, "*Huff* A-Adam *Huff* Montero, Oh god, *Huff* Medic E-5 Sergeant of *Huff* SSV-"

"-Kilimanjaro, he's with me," Max finishes his sentence.

"Thanks, I don't think I would've finished that sentence, Jesus Christ that was a long haul," the medic says, his fatigue coming way too early.

"Adam, you just ran from the Med Bay and you're already tired? Come on, those bags aren't that heavy," Max says and goes to pick up one of his bags but struggles to pick it up, "Or maybe they are, what's in there?" he asks.

"Just some stuff I needed to take with me; Medi-Gel canisters, Immuno Boosters, Neutron scanner, etc." he says listing the supplies.

"The Essentials!" Max says.

"Yup," the Medic says and walks past him and salutes Annali.

"You do know we have all those things in our Med Bay, right?" Annali explains.

"I know, but It doesn't hurt to bring a few extra stuff ,you know? I also brought some Documents on Human treatment in case I'm not in the Med Bay but down somewhere with the Combat Engineer," The Medic explains elbowing the Engineers side.

"You always were a hoarder Adam, bringing some unnecessary stuff with you when we might not even need it," Max says giving a wry smile.

"Am not!" The Medic reputes and tries to size up the tall Engineer. Annali not wanting a fight between the two decides to quickly change the subject to the ship.

"Enough, both of you, you are here to represent Humanity and it's capabilities to the Galaxy and the Council. Try to be the professional's your superiors say you are, ok? Now follow me to your stations on the ship starting with the Med Bay," Annali motions for them to follow her. The two Humans look at each other and follow her through the hallway.

They pile into the elevator along with Ma'Rice operating it, their luggage taking up most of the space for everyone. Max and Adam hold their biggest bags over everyone leaving everything else on the floor. Annali and Ma'Rice hesitantly step in trying to make room for themselves. Annali tries to take her place next to the control panel but he is already there so her only choice is to squeeze in between the Humans. _Oh Spirits why_ she thinks to herself and gets in between the Humans. There isn't much room still so she has to get even closer to them. She back herself up some more hoping not to touch one of them but she feels something breathing behind her neck. She turns to see the Tall Humans face leaned back not trying to get as close to her as well. He smiles and tries to scooch over as much as he can but all he can do is move a centimeter back, "Sorry Officer, I guess we brought too much stuff with us. Here let me take this bag from the floor," he says starting to reach down. His face getting awfully close to her posterior.

"Uh it's okay, don't worry it's fine just leave it on the floor, I don't mind. I doubt you can carry the bags the entire tri-" she says but his chest just pushes her forward as he picks up the bag from the ground and holds it over everyone, creating a spot for her.

"There we go *grunt* made some space for ya, ta-dah!," Max says motioning for her to move in the spot. Annali hesitantly moves over and glances at his flexed biceps, no strain at all from carrying the large amount of weight. _Maybe I underestimated their abilities. We'll see what he can do once he's under pressure,_ she thought to herself. Ma'Rice logs the level onto the monitor and the doors close immediately, the elevator starts to ascend giving everyone a slight stumble. Annali looks up again to the Human and sees he's not breathing heavily at all, those bags must be heavy, their so big. And yet, he's not having trouble at all… except for his friend there whose struggling to not try to black out of exhaustion. Max notices his friend struggling and lightly taps Adam's arm with his elbow getting his attention, "Yo, you need some help with that?" he asks. Adam nods and nearly collapses with the bag over his head before Max catches it and supports both his bags and Adam's, "Got it. You relax there buddy," Max says, his breathing still not erratic.

"*Huff* Thanks man, I'm not used to carrying things over my head for too long," Adam says getting up an rubbing his arms.

"Not trying to be rude or anything, but, do you exercise at all?" Ma'Rice asks looking away from the monitor.

"Not much, I usually study excericse than actually doing it sadly," Adam repsonds not taking offence.

"I always try to get him to do something but he always ends up either observing the girls in the Gym or doing something else besides working out his muscles. That is, if he has any," Max says jokingly.

"I try, but there are so many distractions I can't help but not ignore them," Adam says trying to come up with an excuse.

"Sure, Sure. Um, Officer Veren, where are our stations on the cruiser?" Max asks.

"You will be in Engineering which is where we will be heading after Ma'Rice here escorts the Medic to our Med Bay which is right here," As if right on cue, the elevator stops and the doors open up to a hallway leading to the Med Bay. So says the sign up in the middle of the hallway. The Turian soldier walks out from the elevator and collapses his Vindicator down and clips it to his back. Reaching down to pick up one of Adam's huge duffel bags.

"Alright Adam, follow me to the Med Bay so I can introduce you our Medic. He'll fill you in on your duties," Ma'Rice states. Adam picks up his bag and Max hands him the one he was holding. He walks out from the elevator and stops just after exiting and turns to Max.

"I'll see you later Max, duty calls," Adam says and follows the Soldier through the Hallway. The doors close and Annali quickly walks over to the Terminal to put in the next floor. Max lets the bag fall down to the floor and breathes out a sigh of relief.

"God, are all your elevators that slow?" Max asks rolling his shoulders back and forth, rolling his neck in angles Annali knew a Turian could never do.

"Not really, he must have just set the elevator to minimal speed, hold on… there fixed," Annali says and quickly pushes the button before Max realizes what she means.

"Wait… Minim-"suddenly the elevator rumbles and shoots up, the inertia too much and sudden for Max, making him fall flat on the floor, "Oh God," he mumbles trying to recover from the pain. Annali smiles deviously and keeps her eyes on him, watching him get up, "A prankster huh? Didn't think you guys had sense of humor," Max says rubbing the right side of his face.

"Who said we didn't, huh?" Annali says still grinning. Max just shakes his head in disbelief, he had been outwitted by a Turian, a female at that. The rest of the way is ridden in silence when finally the elevator dings and stops at the floor. The doors open to a busy hallway, Turian's walking in and out of their quarters. They all stop to see the Human walking out of the Elevator, a very tall one indeed. Annali walks out first creating a path in between the crew members. Max quickly grabs his bags and follows suit, everyone either looking up or straight at him. Most Turians were taller than Humans so it was a rare sight to see another Human just as tall as they were. Annali, noticing them staring at the new Human Crew member, decides to settle everything down, "You guys are going to just stare at him, or are you going to prep the ship for the jump to the next system, huh?" Annali shouts. Everyone snaps out of their trance, salute, and scurry to get to their stations. As soon as the order was given, the hallway was empty and silent.

"Nice, normally if this happened on the Kilimanjaro the Captain would threaten to sound the ship-wide alarm for battle stations as a wake up alarm in the morning," Max explains. Annali manages to stifle a giggle, the idea of such a threat would surely be a great wake up call.

"This way to the Engineering deck, Engineer Tereshkova is it?" Annali asks.

"Yup, Tereshkova, that's it," Max confirms.

"What is your main duty on the Kilimanjaro exactly?" Annali explains. Her curiosity on the Alliance Dreadnought coming to her mind.

"Well I mostly just manage the ships Eezo Core and calibrate the ships guns. Of course I don't get to fire them anyway ever since I accidentally triggered the firing mechanism for the broadside cannons and nearly destroyed a station orbiting over Benning," Max explains. Annali can barely hold herself from laughing out loud at his clumsiness but only gets out a giggle.

"I guess that's the reason they wanted you on our ship instead of theirs," Annali says taking a left on the hallway to some doors leading into the engine room.

"I guess," Max states as he follows her through the doors. He hears the hum of the Eezo core in the room, the sound echoing through the hall giving the effect that the core is somewhere around him.

"Here it is, the Engine Room. You'll be working with Artificer's Epididas, Albucius, and Wenthesi. They're right over there I think," Annali points out walking around the core. The Three Turians turn to see her approaching and wave at her presence.

"Hey Annali, you up for some-" Epididas stops when he sees a Human walk out from the corner of the walkway, staring at the large Core, "I see you brought our replacement in Semaj's place," he says walking over to Max. From a distance he seemed shorter than he thought but as he got closer he saw the size difference start to show, but that didn't bother him, "Hey, the names Dray Epididas, the ships Core Artificer here. I manage the ships Eezo Core power conductors. Welcome to the Trianis," Dray says shaking Max's hand.

"Max Tereshkova, Alliance Combat Engineer Private 1st Class. I guess we're both core engineers," Max says releasing Dray's hand. The other two Turians walk over to him and extend their hands to him in Welcome.

"The names Caylio Albucius, just call me Cay for short. I handle the ships power mainframe and infrastructure. I repair everything to lights, faulty wiring, to ship waste removal," Cay explains.

"Oh so you're like the ships Janitor?" Max says. The other Turians laugh at his assumption, slapping his back.

"HAHA even he translated that to Janitor Cay, Spirits no matter how you describe it, it will always be Janitor," the unnamed Turian says and shakes his head still chuckling and extends his hand, Max takes it graciously, "I can tell we're going to get along well here. The names Ranan Wenthesi, I lead the Engineering team here on the Trianis, however you're new so I won't be harsh on you. Not that I will be of course, the Liaison Officer is primarily your commanding officer but you're still under my command as well. These two don't listen to me so just be casual around me and everything will be fine," Ranan explains letting go of Max's hand.

"Nice to meet all of you, where do I sleep? Sorry, I don't mean to be forward I just woke up early in the morning to get to the Kilimanjaro and then fly here," Max explains scratching his head.

"It's alright, your bunk will-" Ranan starts to say until Annali cuts him off.

"Your bunk will be in that room over there, conveniently next to your station so you don't have to walk a long distance to get to it. Sorry 'bout that Ranan, the Captain want's everyone at their stations quick as we're going to make the jump to the Matano System in a bit," Annali explains. The Engineers already knowing what to do head back to their stations.

"Yes, sir. Understood, sir." They all say in Unison, saluting then about face and walk. Ranan stops before his console and turns to Max, "It's great to have you aboard Engineer Tereshkova," Ranan says and turns back to his console. Max nods and looks at Annali who is giving him an expectant face.

"What?" he asks. Annali roll her eyes and points to his room.

"Well? Get going! We need everyone at their stations NOW," Annali shouts. Max is taken off by her sudden mood change but doesn't mind it as he runs to his new quarters. He runs into the room and sees the bed just a few feet from the console. Throwing his bags onto the bed he pulls out the chair and gets working on the managing the core's Mass Effect generator, prepping it for the jump to the next system.

Annali watches him as he disappeared into the room and flips her Omni-tool on and establishes a link, "This is Officer Veren, the Exchange medic and Engineer have been accommodated and are ready for next set of orders," Annali speaks into her Omni-tool.

"Very well Veren, all personnel are at their stations. Alliance vessel is forming up on us… Approaching the Mass Relay… prepare to jump," The Captain states. The Core hums louder at the extra power being outputted into the ships FTL Drive. Annali switches off her Omni-tool to the Core glowing brighter and places a hand in front of her to block the light, "FTL Drive active… Hit it," The Core hums louder then levels down to a steady hum, meaning the ship has entered hyperspace, "Jump successful, well done everyone," The Captain's voice sounds then cut out. Annali turns back to the others already high fiving each other on another successful jump.

"Good job boys, we don't get to die in space today. Round of drinks are on me," Ranan states and Cay and Dray high five each other. Ranan chuckles at their reaction and the three start to walk out before Ranan stops and turns to Annali who is staring at the Human walk out from his quarters.

"Come on Tereshkova, I still need to show you around the ship. I don't want you to get lost on the first day of your new job on the Trianis," Annali explains. Max smiles and nods.

"That's a good idea, I don't think I want to accidentally walk into the ships Main Gun by accident," Max says. Annali chuckles at the thought of him walking into Main gun and- wait how did he know they even have a Main gun? Her smile dissipates and she looks at him suspiciously, "How did you know we have a Main gun on the ship? We haven't shared anything with the Alliance on our ship armaments!" she states. Max opens his mouth to say something but nothing comes out. She takes this opportunity to embarrass him, "Ha-ha, I'm playing with you Tereshkova. You should have seen the look on your face, come on we're getting drinks, right Ranan?" Annali says turning to Ranan who just nods and walks off. Max chuckles a little and fixes his hair, his nerves starting to calm down. He thought they were on to him.

"Yeah, I'm coming just let me get my Omni-tool from my- oh wait never mind it's in my pocket, heh. *click* there we go, where to?" Max says and walks over to Annali.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

 **Main Deck, PFS Trianis – 07:46 P.M.**

"Before we head to the Cafeteria, I'll give you the tour of the Trianis," she says motioning for Ranan to head on and then for Max to follow her. As they walk out the Engine Room Ranan and the rest of the group walk off together down the hallway to the right while Annali and Max take the left Hallway. They walk down a small flight of stairs down to the lower level where there is a more open space. There are personnel everywhere working on consoles and some sitting on tables discussing something, "Here is the Main Deck; where all the hallway's leading into the Rec Room, up the Med Bay, the Ships Gym-"

"Nice" Max says cutting her off. He realizes what he did and shrugs, "Sorry ,continue,"

"The Gym entrance is over there marked by the sign, obviously, and then next to it is the sparring ring where people can train with others or settle disputes," she explains. Max squints at the last few words; settle disputes?

"Wait you guys fight over who is right in a ring?" Max asks confused.

"Yeah, does your government not allow that?" Annali asks shifting herself.

"Well, no not really. If there were a fight in the ship then it would mean the two fighters would either have to settle it with the Captain or get discharged completely from the Navy. How do you guys deal with fights honestly?" Max asks.

"Well, the challenger has to instigate the fight first. Once they make the first move a date is set for the two fighters to spar on the ring. The winner gets bragging rights and wins the argument while the loser has to deal with eternal humiliation!" Annali explains looking up at Max whose face suddenly changes to nervousness; the thought of living with eternal humiliation not sounding well from him.

"Ooooh boy, I guess I won't be fighting anyone at all now or probably ever," Max says shrugging his shoulders. Annali notices Humans do that to express themselves in different way, their body language seem quite complicated but she doesn't question it.

"What, you scared? I thought Humans didn't back down from any challenge whatsoever. Are you really going to let down your race now?" Annali says bringing back nervous face but this time with a hard stare, not at her but at the door.

"Well the thing is I'm not a fighter you see. I merely do repairs or help a ships fighting capability," Max explains shifting to his right to lean on the wall.

"Sure, you are totally not called a 'Combat Engineer' for nothing. Especially for the mission we have with your government," Annali states stumping Max for the count again. Max squints his eyes making a new face unknown to Annali.

"Are you intimidating me?" he asks suspiciously. Annali knows he's caught up to her so she changes the subject.

"Come on, let's go to the Cafeteria; Ranan and the others are expecting us there. They seem eager to get to know you," Annali says quickly motioning for him to follow her back up the stairs.

"You seem to be well acquainted to them, they your friends?" Max asks.

"They were my friends as I grew up when I was a kid. They are the only people here on the ship I can talk to without anyone…" Annali trails off. She felt as if the Human was trying to gather information on her somehow. Not sure what his superiors would need the information for but it had to be something with Manipulation.

"Without anyone- what?" Max asks confused at her sudden trailing off.

"Sorry ,not in the mood to talk now, let's just head over to the cafeteria quick," Annali says quickly, her voice a bit harder than she meant to as she walked up the stairs quickly. Max follows her up, unsure if he said something offensive or triggered a memory from her past, he decides to stay silent a they head over to the cafeteria.

 _Did I say something bad? Damn this might be a bad first impression. I'll have to talk to her later about it, maybe clear things up with her_ Max thought to himself. He speeds up to catch up with Annali down the hallway and maintains an even pace at her side.

They enter the Cafeteria only to be met with the sweet scent of Turian cuisine already cooked for the people on lunch break. Annali and Max stand by the entrance scanning the cafeteria for the Ranan and the group. Max catches an arm waving at them and sees Ranan and the others on table at the far right, "There on the right, I see them," Max points out. Annali sees Ranan and the others and waves over to them and the two make their way over to the table. Annali takes her usual spot at the edge of the table while Max sits down opposite of her but one down to the right of her, thankfully.

"Hey Annie, how's the new promotion working out for ya?" Ranan asks taking a swig from his cup.

"Well first off; One, my name is not Annie and two it's more of a Demotion for me," Annali says disgusted.

"Oh come on you have a better bed than the one you had before," Dray says.

"It's the same one," Annali says plainly.

"Oh, well never mind," he says.

"So, Tereshkova is it? You ready to start work with us?" Dray asks.

"You can call me Max, my last name is way too long to complete. By the time you say it, someone's laundry is already done," Max says making everyone laugh. Annali chuckles at his joke, comparing himself to a real situation just makes her want to hear more from him. Something about him was changing the way she saw Humans entirely, however the thought of her mother always attempted to pull her back to her hatred for humans, which usually happened. However, not today.

"Yeah I'd prefer to call you Max than that last name. Where'd you get it anyhow?" Cay asks curiously.

"Back on Earth we have the Eighteen Nations that made up the Alliance. Russia, which was one of them, was where my father came from. His last name was Russian, understandably, he married my mother who was Mexican. She came from Mexico whom was also another Nation that made up the Alliance. She and my dad met in the Americas, which again was another member of the Alliance, and married there. My first name was Mexican in her countries terms, she adopted my father's last name and so when I was born; Max Tereshkova was my name," Max explains. The group nod at the origin story for his name, including Annali.

"So the Alliance is made up of the Eighteen greatest Nations of your Home Planet? Are there more Nations?" Dray asks.

"A total of 195 countries exist in the world, and only Eighteen of the most Powerful and well developed Nations on the Planet came together to try to Unify the planet. Of course I wasn't there to see the establishment of the Alliance," Max explains. The group 'ah's' in fascination at how many countries are still not with the Alliance, seeing as they are the main sponsors for the Human race.

"Why doesn't the rest of the world join the Alliance?" Ranan asks.

"Political and cultural bullshit. Most of the countries there believe joining the Alliance might change their Nation's culture when in reality we just want to explore the Galaxy. The Eighteen Nations saw that their culture wouldn't change so they decided to Unite and share their resources with each other for the sake of Human advancement. This was after we discovered the Prothean Data Drives on Mars," Max explains the Alliances story. Information Annali thought to be useful. Just a little bit of Political Disagreement and the Alliance is left in shambles, "There are some Nations who are requesting they join the Alliance so that's good for us. Little by little the world is coming together and maybe at one point, we'll gain the full support of the motherland," Max says leaning back but realizes there isn't a support for his back and goes back to his default position.

"It almost sounds like our Unification War except less violent and without space battles taking place. All in all, this makes up a great bed time story," Dray says making the others laugh.

"Hey, it isn't something to snooze away to. Your Unification war sounds like a Soap Opera set in Space. Nobody likes Drama," Max retaliates, smirking.

"Bah, hey Ranan when you thinking of playing Skyllian Five?" Dray asks.

"I'm up for it anytime you guys are," Ranan states.

"I'm looking forward to stealing your money boys. Just mark the day and I'll be there," Annali states determined.

"Really? Well we'll see how you fare with my new and improved skills," Dray brags stretching his arms out in front of him.

"Ha, improved? Last time you said that you lost everything you betted on the table," Annali reminds him.

"You pulled that Ace from your sleeve, I know it. Besides, at least I won't be at the bottom of the cup when Max is there," Dray says. All eyes are on Max now, "You do know how to play Skyllian Five right Max?" he asks.

"Psshh, of course I do. I have a relatively good poker face when it comes to gambling, Deal me in," Max says acting confident in his skills.

"What do you have to bet with?" Annali says doubtful he has anything to even bargain with.

"I got a little something from the Motherland, I won't spoil the surprise," Max says crossing his arms.

"Alright then, we'll see you at the Rec Room when everyone's out cold," Dray says and gets up from the table and takes one last swig from his drink, "I gotta go guys, see you all tonight," Dray says and walks out to the doors.

"Lates Dray," Ranan says. Somehow the overcrowded cafeteria became almost desolate and eerie. Only the cooks and a few groups were left and it was almost time to turn in while the ship travels through Hyperspace to the Matano System.

"Okay guys, let's head back to our stations it's almost time for curfew, remember the game," Annali orders and the group salutes then stands up simultaneously and disperse, only leaving Max and Annali, "Let's go Engineer Tereshkova, you have a game to prepare for so it's best you head back to your headquarters," Annali says starting to get up. Her tone hard and forward.

"You know you can call me Max besides that name. Sounds so stressful when you say it," Max says getting up as well.

"I call my friends by their first name," Annali states and begins to walk for the doors. Max frowns at her tone and follows her through the doors.

"So, what? Am I not considered a friend to you?" Max asks. Annali continues down the hallway not responding to his question, "Hello?" he asks again. She doesn't respond. Max decides to be a bit more forward, "Hey, are you ignoring me?" Max asks again and places a hand on her shoulder. Not even expecting it, Annali grabs hold of his arm and flings him over her and down onto the floor creating a loud thud. Max looks up to see Annali standing over him. Her feelings for Humanity taking over again and speaking out loud.

"I was never fond of humans human. I'm not sure why the Hierarchy decided to spare your kind but I don't fully sympathize with their decision. I believe they have something in mind for you but it isn't with me being friendly to you," she says and walks over him and disappearing into the hallways.

Max lays there not knowing what just happened and tries to get up. He rubs the back of his neck to where he felt his spine hit the metal floor. _Oh god what the hell just happened. *sigh* I think I should have let it go. The hell was I thinking for grabbing like that? I think I'll just wait for the right moment to make it up to her_ he thinks to himself as he walks back to engineering. He passes the hallway Annali disappeared through and sees nothing down the hall. He makes it back to Engineering to see Ranan, Dray and Caylio walking out.

"You guys already starting the game?" Max asks.

"No, we're heading back to our bunks, ours is pretty close by which is convenient. I'll send you a message saying when you should come to the Rec Room to your Omni-tool," Ranan says and begins to walk away.

"See you there Max, bring that surprise you were saving to the game," Dray says and follows the group into the hallway to their bunks.

"Alright, see you guys," Max says and walks into the Engine Room and into his room. He throws his bags to the side and flops onto the bed and groans loudly, his body relaxing finally. _Oohhhh how I missed you bed even though you belong to someone else_ Max says to himself mentally. Bringing his arms up he sets his Omni tool to go off if a message arrives. Switching it off he let's his face flop back onto the bed, not caring if there's a pillow.

[

"SPIRITS WHAT THE BLOODY HELL WAS I THINKING? I just went off on him just like that. Spirits that was uncalled for, Ugh," Annali says to herself as she punches the wall in frustration. She let her feelings get in the way of her better judgement and for that she reacted out of anger beside responding logically. She could've said and done anything else but what she did. A part of her was saying her actions were justified; he grabbed her shoulder, she was an officer it was considered insubordination. She thought it was defiance against an officer but she made the first move by saying he wasn't her friend. _Spirits, I can't live in the past anymore. Mom wouldn't want me to still be mourning her after all this time. Max didn't do anything to me that was offensive. He was just trying to be… my friend._ This thought broke her down and she started sobbing. Leaning back and sliding down to sit on the floor, her hands on her face. _I have to apologize to him today, now._ *sigh* "Spirits help me" she says and recomposes herself enough to get up and lay on her large bed. Her bed was large enough to accommodate another person but she never did think about sharing it with anyone. She flopped on to her bed and flipped on her Omni tool to check the time; 20:00.

"Alright, it's almost time. *sigh* Maybe I can get some sleep before it's time" she says to herself and closes her eyes. Almost immediately she falls into darkness. Small figments swirl around her mind, memories of her mother and father were still together on Palaven. How she was always excited to see her when she got back from duty, " _Momma"_ she said in her memory. She smiles at the warmth she felt when she hugged her from a long day's work, " _I missed you mommy"_ she said in her memory, " _I missed you two dear,"_ Her mother's voices so soothing and calming. She smiles unconsciously at her voice, "Momma," she mumbles in her sleep.

*Beep* *Beep* *Beep*

"Huh? Whaa-?" Annali wakes up to the sound of her Omni tool beeping for a call to connect. She gets up quickly and swing her legs over the edge and flicks her Omni tool and connects the call, "Who is it?" she asks rubbing her eyes.

"You coming? Its time, just thought I would let you know. The Rec Room is open today so hurry up," Ranan says. Annali blinks quickly and nods.

"Yeah I'm coming ,don't worry I'll be there. I promise," she says rubbing her eyes.

"Aright cool, I'll see you there," Before he disconnects Annali remembers something she was going to say.

"OH wait Ranan, is… Max coming to the game too?" she asks hesitantly.

"Yeah I just called him, he's coming with his 'surprise'. Why?" he asks suspiciously.

"Just… wanted to check is all, thanks," Annali says and disconnects the call. She stands up stretching her arms up and legs to get some blood flowing through them. Walking into the hallway she makes her way to the stairs leading down to the Main Deck. As she nears the stairs, she wonders what she's going to say to Max to start the conversation _What do I say to him? 'Hey I'm sorry for that move I did on you! No hard feelings?' Nonono that sounds dumb. Gosh what do I say? It's not like he's going to-_ Just then Max walks out from the Hallway from the left. He sees her walking and she freezes on the spot. The two eye each other, not saying anything or moving at all. For a while neither side moved until Max spoke first.

"Annali I-I'm sorry for what I did back there, I didn't mean to grab you like that. You're my Commanding Officer I shouldn't have pushed on the question like that-"

"No I'm sorry. I acted out of Anger and I wasn't thinking rationally. I regret saying what I said back there, it was uncalled for me flipping you on you back. I hope I didn't hurt you," Annali says looking down shamefully at the space between them.

"I wasn't hurt at all… physically I mean. I pushed on because of what you said 'you only called friends by their first name'. I know I'm bad at first impressions and I probably said something wrong. If I said something offensive-" his words were getting to her. Not only was he apologizing, he was blaming the entire incident on himself. Not once pinning it on her slightly. Everything she had thought about humans being so cruel and self-minded was being disproven by this one Human. If there was one thing she looked for in another Man, it was sympathy for other people, "-Please, if there is anything I can do to make it up you-" Annali walks up to Max, her move making him silent. Unsure as to what she was going to do he leans back, not taking a step back. She moves up close to him and her face very close to his. Her eyes scanning his face for any sign of dishonesty of his words. She sighs and her head falls to his chest, Max unsure as to how to respond.

"A-Annali I-" Max says but is interrupted when she brings her head up to his face and her hand behind his head. She brings her forehead to his, her hand not letting go of his head but rather feeling his soft silkiness of his pelt. Max doesn't protest to what she is doing but interprets it as a sign of respect… or something. Finally, she lets him go and he pat's the back of his hair down, "So what was that about?" he asks curiously.

"It's a sign of respect and the establishment of good friendship sometimes something else," she says clarifying. Max nods slightly and smiles.

"I guess we're friends now, eh?" Max says. Annali nods, "Well, since we are I guess it's no harm to share the possible winning in accordance of our newly found friendship. Here, hold on…" Max says handing her a sort of, bronzish, bottle and then running back into engineering. Some rustling could be heard from outside the room, Max rushes out with two glass cups from his room holds them both in his hand. He takes the bottle from her and hands her the glasses. Uncorking the top a small pop can be heard from it, "Tequila, Mexico's and the world's strongest liquor… strong enough to make any scientist, street smart," Max says. Annali giggles at his small joke and Max smiles at her reaction. He pours the liquor into the glasses and takes his.

"Is it Dextro-protein? I might die from this if it isn't you know?" Annali questions looking at the coloration from the glass.

"It's universal, able to be consumed by both Dextro and Levo-Amino based people. It's totally safe trust me, I even shared one with a Quarian on the Citadel. He was a good guy," Max says and chugs down all of the liquid just like that. Nothing happening to him, Annali decides it's probably good for her then if he shared it with a Quarian.

"Ok then, down the hatch," she says and chugs the liquor down as well. The taste is unlike anything she's tasted before. As the liquid falls down her esophagus she feels it stinging her throat slightly but later a refreshing feeling overwhelms her and she breathes a sigh of satisfaction.

"See even you like it. Let's see if the Tequila doesn't kill you, I just ordered it the day before," Max says. Annali's eyes open widely at his statement and her mouth drops open. Max smiles and chuckles, "I'm playing with you, relax Annali, god you Turians sure do take things seriously," Max says walking past her and down the stairs. Annali closes her mouth and shakes her head in disbelief, she was played by him again. She was already starting to like him… as a friend that is.

Maybe.

[

"Guys unfortunately I couldn't find the cards to play for Skyllian five so we might have to find a different game to play," Dray says. Everyone groans in disappointment at the poker table, expecting to be able to bet.

"Now what? We have no cards to play with," Cay says resting his head on his hand. The room falls silent, the hum of the core being white noise to the group. Max takes a deep breath and gets up from his seat.

"Where you going?" Cay asks.

"I have my own set of cards but not the cards that we would normally use in a regular poker game," Max says and walks out the room and running through the Main Deck up the stairs. Dray and Ranan exchange looks of Confusion, not entirely sure what other card game Max brought with him. Annali is still looking at the door Max exited from, waiting to come around the corner at some point.

"Hey Annali, what do you think so far of our new engineer?" Ranan asks. Annali perks her head up and turns back to the group.

"Huh, oh, uh, well of course I still barely know him. We just met him today," Annali says looking down at where Max was, only to see the bottle of Tequila he brought for the supposed poker game.

"True- true, though, he's already giving me the impression that I've known him for a long time. Like we were old friends meeting up for the first time in years," Ranan explains, the others nodding as well in agreement.

"He seems like a nice guy. Still, I'm curious as to see his skills in action when it comes to an actual battle situation," Dray cuts in.

"We will, the Captain might schedule a simulation soon!" Annali says.

"You mean Caepraka? Are you giving us a heads up or…" Dray asks.

"I'm just saying there might so don't go expecting it will come in the morning when we wake up," Annali says. At that point, Max bursts in through the doors startling everyone.

"Found them, they were so deep in my bags I couldn't find the little bugger. Alrighty now!" Max says pulling out a small red rectangular box with fancy lettering that Annali would assume was the Human language.

"Alright, what are we playing? Is betting involved? Because I would hate to waste my skills in a pointless non-gamble," Cay says, crossing his arms.

"We can play betting but it has to be all in," Max says and everyone frowns at the new rule. Whoever wins first gets the Pot.

"What? What kind of game rule is that? You might as well take my crap, this is your game!" Dray says putting his hands up.

"I'll explain the rules now but first; What is the game, right?" Max says trying to regain the trust of everyone, they all nod in agreement and listen carefully, "Okay, the name of the game is Uno! It's a relatively easy game to understand. Winner of the first game moves on the Semi-finals. It will be an elimination match, more or less," Max says. Everyone bobble heads him in understanding.

"Ok so how do we play the game exactly?" Annali asks first.

"I'll try to make this sound as easy as I possibly can because not everyone gets it. Basically, there are four different colored cards; Green, Blue, Red, and yellow. Each one numbered from one to nine," he explains showing them cards.

"How will we now which number it is, I can't read your human way of writing numbers," Dray says.

"Scan it with your Omni-tools before playing but don't show them to anyone, obviously. Anyways, there are these wildcards that allow you to change the color of the next starting card. There are also +2 cards and +4 cards that, depending on the color presented, will allow you to get the other person to draw two more cards thus adding to his deck. The +4 card is universal and you can put down anytime, regardless of the color presented. If the person has the same +2 or +4 card you can place it down for a follow up, as I like to call, adding up the value to either 4 or an 8. Depending on the card you have. Moral of the game is to get rid of all your cards before everyone else," Max explains. He shuffles the deck and hands everyone 6 cards each. They all take their cards, with their Omni-tool, and scan the cards, translating the numbers to their symbols. They nod at their hand and hide it under the table. Max places the deck in the middle and gets six cards for himself and sits down next to Annali, but not too close to see her deck, or vice versa.

"So how do we start the game?" Ranan asks.

"I pull a random card from the deck and whatever color it is we start with. I'll explain on the way, this just a practice round so nobody loses anything… yet," Max says giving everyone a mischievous look. Annali smiles as he smiles, his smile giving her certain warmth she had never felt in a long time… love? She catches this and shakes her head at the thought. _Whoa what the hell was that? Did I just… no i can't. Not now._ She looks as her cards again, reading them again to take her mind off what she just felt. Her deck is rainbow colored but the some of the symbols looking identical and she one she saw looked like the 'Wildcard' he mentioned.

Max pulls a card off from the top of the deck and flips to reveal a blue card, "Ok, the color is blue! Ranan, pick a card that is blue, any will do," Max says. Ranan nods and pulls a blue card with a 6 and shows it to Max, "Good now place it on top of the blue card I just pulled and we'll continue," Max says. Ranan plops the card on the starting card and the turn moves to Caylio. He inspects the cards he has but looks confused.

"Um, I don't have a blue on me. What do I do, forfeit?" Cay asks.

"Do you have a card that has that symbol on it?" Max asks.

"Yeah," Cay confirms nodding and holding up the yellow card.

"Then put it down and that's the new color we'll be going with now," Max says. Cay places the card down but before Dray can go, Cay raises his hand quickly.

"What if I have another card with the same symbol but different color?" he asks.

"If you have the same card but a different color you can place it down as well," Max explains. Cay place's two more cards down, a blue then a green, and is down to 3 cards, a sort of faint smirk growing on him, "Alright Dray, your turn, the card is green," Dray nods and takes a card from his hand and places it down, a +4, "Oooh, that's gonna hurt Annali, draw four cards," Max says smiling. Annali frowns at the card Dray put down but notices she has a similar card to the one he put down and places it down, not sure what happens then. Max's smirk fades and his mouth drops open, "Whaa-?" Max doesn't say anything but shake his head and reaches for the deck to pick up his cards.

"Wait, why are you drawing? What did I do?" Annali asks confused.

"Dray placed down a +4 card, you saved yourself from drawing the four cards by placing your +4 card down. The two cards add up to eight cards in total so the next person has to draw that many cards," Max explains as he continues gathering cards for himself.

"Oh, well then, yay!" Annali says smiling at her lucky save.

"I have a feeling this is going to be a long match, I'm usually not psyched out like that *sigh*," Max shakes his head in disbelief.

"You know I'm starting to like this game, I think I might win this," Cay says confident.

 **Main Deck; Rec Room, Trianis- 20:00 P.M.**

 **2 Hours Later**

"I can't believe I lost all my crap," Cay says walking with his head back hunched and his hands in his now empty pockets.

"Pfft, I lost my prized possession of good genuinely made Tequila-" Max turns around to Annali holding her winnings from the game, "- To a woman. *groan* I was going to save it for a special occasion… for myself. Guess not," Max says as they walk.

"Hey you were the one who brought up the game. Don't blame me for being so good," Annali says walking past them in between.

"Yeah, it was MY game. It wasn't fair, you had the swap hands card. Can't believe it was an amateur," Max mumbles reminding her of her lucky call.

"*giggle*" Annali simply giggles. Both Cay and Max shake their heads gloomily. Dray and Ranan had already left before the game ended because they didn't want to lose any more stuff, leaving Cay, Max and Annali to play against each other. Cay splits off from the group to head to his room saying his goodnight to the new Engineer and Officer Veren. Together, Max and Annali walk to the Engine Room, Max stops and turns to Annali who stands there expectantly.

"Well, goodnight Officer Veren. I had a good first day on board the Trianis. I guess I'll see you at 0600," Max says and turns to the doors.

"Wait, Engin- sorry, Max! Um, before you go I just wanted to say I'm sorry again, for what I said about you after I flipped you on your back outside the Cafeteria," Annali says walking up to him but not looking up at him.

"It's okay, I understand why you said it. It wasn't that long ago, your kind took over one of our colonies and we sort of surprised you by retaking it. Of course there's still going to be some tension between us but what we did back in the Rec Room was proof that we can get along great," he says reassuring Annali her actions were justified. This made Annali more ashamed of herself for continually blaming his kind for the death of her mother.

"It's not just that… I… hated your kind when my mother died… she was part of the force that occupied your planet. When I heard she was executed by your military, I took upon myself to train and become the best special forces agent in the Hierarchy so that when the day came when I would face a Human, they would be sorry they even met me," Annali reveals herself completely. Max doesn't move or anything he's just standing there. Did he hear what she said?

"I understand if you're mad, I-I feel ashamed for having these thoughts about you *sigh*," Annali explains placing her winnings on the floor and steps back slightly. Max sees what's she's doing and moves towards her.

"Wait what are you-" Max starts to say before she steps back again.

"I… I don't deserve this… I'm sorry," she says. Before Max could reach her she's already sprinting the opposite direction through the Hallway.

"WAIT," Max calls out but she's already gone. _Damn it_ he thinks to himself. He looks back at her winnings and picks them up. He looks at them, his tequila, Cay's credits, her words ringing in his head _I don't deserve this… I don't deserve this._ _She must have had a rough past to give this all up to me, but not even that makes sense_. He takes her winnings into the Engine room and to his room where he places them on the side of his station. Sitting down on his chair, he replays everything that happened from when he woke up to Annali's confession. Taking every bit of detail into account, he searches for the possible mistake he might've made early on, _Was it how I greeted her? No, that couldn't have been it. Somehow I triggered a memory from her, I don't know,_ he thinks to himself. Staring back at the Tequila, he wonders it's taste again and reaches and uncorks it, pouring himself a shot. _Already the first day and it's already interesting. Whelp, down the hatch,_ he says and raises the shot in the air for a toast and throws the liquid in his mouth. The liquor already taking effect he shakes his head to rid himself of the dizziness and walks over to his biggest bag. Pulling out his father's guitar he had kept with him since he was a toddler, he sits back down and fiddles with the strings, adjusting the tightness. Once calibrated, he takes position and plays a tune he had heard was made from the early 2000's.

"Staring at the ceiling in the dark

Same old empty feeling in your heart…" playing the night away.

[

Annali, still running down the hall, tears running down her eyes, slows down to an even pace to catch her breath. Unable to see, she wipes her eyes of the tears accumulated and sits down leaning her back against the wall. Small sniffs occasionally escape from her creating an echo through the hallway. Eventually, she wipes away the excess tears and recomposes herself, her breathing back to normal. She looks up at the dark ceiling, closes her eyes and taking a deep breath, she opens them back up, _Spirits… why is this so hard. First days are never this complicated. This human… Max, is different from everyone else that I've met before. He opened me up so easily, the only other person who managed to do that was Ma' Rice._

Getting up slowly, she quickly walks back to her room and locks it, not wanting anyone to come in on her. Hanging up her uniform in her closet, neatly straightening it out for tomorrow. She strips down to her underwear, and quickly puts on some pajamas to shield her from the cold. Flopping onto bed she pulls out a small instrument she used to play with her mother. She had taken inspiration to play it when she felt down. It looked like a Human Flute but more intricate in design. She places her lips on the mouthpiece and blows into it. The flute had no holes to control the airflow so the tune came depending on how hard or how light you blow into it. She steadied her breathing and blew into the Turian flute creating a small whistle then increases in pitch and a nice beat starts up.

Mentally she sings a small song her mother taught her, one she would never forget:

" _Accept me for who I am and I will accept you for you._

 _Despite your words_

 _Despite your woes_

 _I am with you…"_

Singing the night away.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

 **06:00 A.M. Trianis.**

 ***BWWONNGG***

 ***BWWONNGG***

" **ALL PERSONNEL, TO YOUR STATIONS! THIS IS CONDITION RED! I REPEAT, CONDITION RED! ALL PERSONNEL MAN YOUR STATIONS,"** Caepraka's voice booms over the speakers waking Annali from her peaceful slumber. She falls out of bed and quickly scurries to her closet and opens it quickly pulling out her jacket.

" _Huh, guess I was right the simulation would play in the morning. Cay is going to be on my ass about this,"_ she says to herself as she puts on her jacket and runs out the door down the hall. Crew member are everywhere, running from to room gathering and waking up their comrades. She hollers orders to direct the traffic and soon enough everyone is following a standard path. She quickly cuts through everyone and into the elevator, punching in the top floor to the bridge. The elevator shakes violently as an explosion goes off, " _Or maybe this isn't a simulation,"_ she says to herself. The doors open and she runs to the Holo-display, the captain looking the ship from a third person view and three other ships circling it, "Captain, what's the situation?" Annali asks.

"Three Batarian cruisers just came out from hyperspace as soon as we entered the Matano System. Did you check on Engineering, Veren?" she asks.

"No Mam, not yet," Annali responds.

"Then get down there, we need the ships power running smoothly for the guns," she orders. Annali salutes and runs back into the elevator, hitting the Engineering deck.

She bursts out from there and she sees crew members pushing each other out of the way to manage the ships multiple systems, "Move everyone move, get to your stations NOW," she hollers while making her way to the engineering room. She enters the engineering room to see the Core shaking and humming steadily. The three Turian engineers typing away at their consoles, "Wenthesi, report," she orders as she checks the ships power management data.

"All systems are working a peak efficiency sir!" he responds.

"Good. How's our engineer?" she asks hesitantly.

"Don't know, we just woke up to the alarm, didn't have time to check him," Ranan says. Annali sighs and quickly walks to Max's station, "Max? Are you awake?" she asks walking in.

"Yup, in here Sir," Max calls out. His pants still on but his shirt off. Standing and typing away on the console and looking back up to the monitor frantically, "What's the situation out there sir?" he asks, not looking away.

"Three Batarian cruisers exited from Hyperspace, that's all I know," she explains. Max simply nods and pulls up his Omni-tool.

"Batarian pirates eh? Well how about we return fire with the big gun?" he asks looking to her.

"Main gun is powering up, shields are up and running but I feel they won't last long under constant fire by their fighters," she explains.

"Bet I can give us a fighting edge now. Here, pull up your Omni-tool," he asks. She activates her Omni-tool and awaits his next instructions.

"What are you going to do?" she asks curiously. Another explosion outside the hull goes off shaking the ship.

"Hold on, syncing your tool to mine and… there," he says enthusiastically. Her display fuzzes a little but now images of the ships interior show on her Omni-tool.

"What did you do?" she asks. Max quickly types into the console with one hand while keeping his tool on.

"What I'm going to do is take power from your back up generators and send the current to the core and into the main gun; this will increase charging and loading speed. Also boosting ship shields by 150% but only for a short time, "he explains and opens a vent under the console revealing wires and cables. He lies down on his belly to reach into the vent and fiddles with his Omni-tool.

"You can do that?" she asks, astonished someone can actually do this.

"Hey, I flew in a Dreadnought. I know how to give any ship an advantage. I'm literally turning your cruiser into a Dreadnought," he says while connecting wires to different slots.

"Nice. And what do you need me to do?" she asks.

"On my mark I need you to send a false power outage to the backup generators and at the same time I'll reroute the ships engine power to the core. This has to be perfectly timed or else it won't work," he says and pulls out two ends of different wires, "Ready?" he asks, the wires sparking.

"Ready, on your mark," she states and holds her finger over her Omni-tool, ready to trigger the alarm.

"3…2…1… NOW," he yells and connects the ends together while Amy triggers the Alarm. The lights flicker then brighten up intensely. The Core hums even louder, the sudden surge of power flowing into it and throughout the ship. A loud whirring sound can be heard getting louder and louder until-

*BOOM*

*WHIRRRRRR*

*BOOM*

The ships main gun fires two shots and prepares to fire another while the exterior guns start firing as well, "HAHA it worked, let's show those Batarians what firepower really is," he yells triumphantly. Annali smiles at his Intellectuality. He is really good under pressure, impressive for a human. For some reason she was relieved she was proven wrong about humans. Guess not all humans are bad.

"Well done Max, I have to say you do know how to handle a ship properly," she compliments. He hears her compliment and blushes. This surprises Annali; she never knew they could change color too. She figured this was how they showed their many human expressions.

"It was nothing really, you figure stuff out when you're on a Dreadnought and-"

*Beep* *Beep* *Beep*

Annali's Omni-tool lights up signaling a pending call. She opens it and she sees the Captain's face appear on the display, "Captain, are the-,"

"WHO OVERRODE THE MAIN GUN CONTROLS? I'm getting readings saying it's coming from the Engine Room," Caepraka shouts through the Omin-tool.

"Um, Max did Captain. He doubled the ships charging speed. What about the Cruisers?" she asks. The Captain face palms herself and sighs heavily before looking back the scream.

"It was a SIMULATION Veren. Spirits, we nearly fired on the Victrition and Kilimanjaro because of what you did. Explain yourself," she orders. Annali opens her mouth to say something but nothing comes out.

"I did it Captain, I accidentally overrode the controls for the outside gun. I honestly didn't think that would happen sir. I meant to boost the ships shields and firepower if need be but I didn't think the guns would fire on their own sir. I deeply apologize. Officer Veren had nothing to do with it," Max explains what happened, putting the blame on himself. The Captain doesn't say anything for a while and it makes the moment even awkward.

Finally, she sighs and looks away from the display and back, "When did you arrive at the Engineering room Officer?" she asks. Again, she doesn't what to say, unsure whether to lie or put it on Max, but she didn't want to complicate things. She notices Max looking at her, he nods. She knows he wants her to peg it on him so she speaks.

"When the first two shots were fired sir," Annali replies, looking back at Max nervously.

"So you didn't take part in it huh? Well, lucky for you Engineer Tereshkova your Captain gave me a heads up; told me you had "surprises". Otherwise I would have filed a report to get you off my ship for endangering the flotilla. Anyway, well done Engineer Tereshkova, I have a feeling we will be in good hands with you here. Caepraka out," the display shuts off and Annali turns off her Omni-tool and leans against the wall, breathing a sigh of relief things didn't escalate.

"Well that was… interesting. Was not expecting that at all," Max says turning back to his console. He sits down on his chair and leans back, brushing his dark brown hair with his fingers. Annali sees how his hair moves as he grooms himself, parting to make way for each of his fingers to move through and then reverting back to its original stance, but a little messy.

"You sure are weird, you humans," Annali speaks. Max chuckles at this and turns his seat to face her.

"Not as weird when you left that piece offering for me last night before bedtime," he reputes bringing back the events that occurred after the game of Uno. Annali's eyes widen at this although hard to read a Turians face, Max can tell she's ashamed, "Oh I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that as a joke. Just… it was the first that came to mind. I-I thought we were joking around," Max quickly apologizes. He isn't sure if he made things worse but he doesn't know how to talk to a girl, a girl of another race that is.

"No-no, it's okay. I know what you mean. Heh, it was a good comeback though," Annali says chuckling as she scratches the back of her head. Max chuckles as well, relieved she didn't take it the wrong way.

"Heh, yeah," he says scratching his head as well. They stay there awkwardly in silence until Cay bursts into the room along with Dray and Ranan.

"Max did you do that? That was AWESOME, everyone is talking about who turned the ship into a freaking beast," Cay says punching Max in the arm playfully.

"I swear I thought the reactor was going to explode when it vibrated that hard. The electric cables weren't meant to handle that much power flowing through it," Dray says.

"It was no biggy really, I had to do it for the Kilimanjaro when we were fighting Batarians in the Mino Wasteland," Max explains.

"Well Max, if you were part of the Turian Navy then I would promote now but you're not unfortunately," Ranan says.

"I will be in charge of promotions Engineer Wenthesi. Back to your stations, the Captain will want a brief report on Engineering soon so get at it," Annali orders, the engineers salute and Three-stooge their way out the room leaving Annali and Max again.

"The sure are the Moe Larry and Curly of the ship aren't they?" Max says chuckling.

"Who?" Annali asks, not recognizing the names.

"Sorry, they were some funny Human actors who starred in very old film. I loved watching their appearances whenever re-runs of the show came by with my family," he recalls the memory, smiling of when they were all together.

"Oh I see. And how old were you back then?" Annali asks, wanting to know more about his past.

"Shockingly, I was two years old. I still remember the shows I watched. We laughed so hard, my older brother always laughed hard, not because of the show but because of my baby laugh. Heh, he made me laugh even more by tickling me as I was still laughing at the moment," Max says chuckling. Annali laughs at his family's silliness.

"I can tell you were very close with them and your brother," Annali says. Max nods smiling at her, "Where are they now?" she asks. The warm smile that was Max's face disappears completely, a hard look falls on him, his eyes no longer gleaming with optimism but cold and angry. Annali feels uncomfortable now, feeling like she asked a bad question. He blinks and snaps out of his trance and rubs his eyes in frustration, turning to the console but not doing any work on it. He just stares into blank space, "I'm sorry, I understand if you don't want to talk about them," she apologizes, not moving yet until he responds.

"It would be… nice to not talk about them… for now," Max says and quickly stands up, his face back to that nice warm smile, "So, you hungry?" he asks.

"I would accept but, I have to check on the other departments to make sure they are running smoothly after the simulation. You know," she says starting to walk out, "Maybe later during lunch?" she asks, stopping just outside the doorway and looking back at him, her sky blue eyes looking back to him. Max notices her eyes match with her colony marking of blue and white with her tan face plates. Blue diamond like streaks fall down to her mandibles, smaller blue and white streaks are painted just under her eyes and over her brow plates and one diamond streak on her forehead; somewhat elegant and beautifully designed. Max notices his mouth is open and quickly closes it. Annali giggles at his awkwardness and starts to walk away, "I'll take that as a yes. I'll see you later… Tereshkova," she says and leaves the room.

Max scratches the back of his head, unsure what he was thinking at the moment but then his Omni-tool starts to beep; an incoming call. He pulls up the display and checks the connection; it's a secured channel, " _Must be Colt,"_ Max says to himself mentally. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out an earpiece and places it in his ear and connects it to the call. He accepts the call and the image of Colt appears on screen.

" **Morning Tereshkova, how was the simulation?"** he asks.

"Well I nearly pissed myself when the alarm started blaring but all in all it was great. I hear you told the Captain who I was?" Max asks, raising a brow.

" **Well I couldn't put any suspicion on you since your undercover so I took the precaution of warning them first so they don't see whatever actions you do as "weird", you got me?"** he asks.

"Yes Captain," Max says with a salute.

" **Good. Don't do anything stupid or else this alliance with the Turians is done for. Our relationship is still fragile at the moment, they were kind enough to loan us two of their cruisers after most of ours were lost at the battle of the Citadel. They are here to help us with an Alliance matter; Cerberus. Intel shows they've built a base here on Chasca. We aren't sure why they are here but this is a starting colony so there aren't many people on it which means more hay to hide themselves in, them being the needle in the haystack,"** Colt explains.

"Understood sir," Max says nodding.

 **Very well, keep your N7 skills at a minimum and your engineering at the max as to not raise suspicion. Colt Out,"** he says and salutes. Max salutes as well before the call disconnects and the screen disappears.

"Welp, back to work then," he says and sits down on his chair, typing away at the console.

[

Meanwhile Annali walks back to her Cabin, lying that she had to check on the rest of the crew was not something she took lightly but she had this itch to learn more about these Humans. Something about them, now fascinated her and she wasn't quite sure what it was. Thankfully, the universe blessed them with the Extranet so she popped it open and began her research. The rest of the day involved many surprises and facts she never thought were real. Some of the stuff made her laugh and others made her somewhat uncomfortable, not that she already was. After her long days research, she thought about Max and his character. After looking up about Humans anatomy and sociology, she actually found him to be a lot like herself; he was funny, he was optimistic, he likes jokes, he's certainly into fitness, and she actually liked how he was so caring.

In a way, she was starting to like him.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

 **0600 A.M.- Crew Deck- Trianis February 27** **th** **2183 CE**

Annali wakes up the alarm of her Omni-tool going off and she quickly snaps it on her wrist and shuts it off, "I really have to change the damn alarm," she says making a mental note to herself. She kicks the covers off her body and sits up, yawning. She gets up and stretches herself before stripping down and putting on her casual clothes, her day off. Last night she couldn't sleep much after she thought back to the conversation she had with Max. She said "messed" as if she just friend-zoned him just like that. She wished she could have said anything else other than that but she was still nervous on telling him how she felt about him, " _Stupid Caepraka, just had to interrupt me when I was in there with him. Now it's going to be even harder. But why should be hard, I just have to tell him and that's it. But what if he says no? *sigh* why is this so hard to do?"_ she says to herself, letting her head fall on the wall. For a long time she was alone by herself, not wanting to talk to anybody but her family. She thought she found love with Ma'Rice but she just didn't feel right with him so she split up with and offered to be friends instead. Annali wanted someone who would care for her, have fun with her, and love her. For some reason, she liked Max… a lot. She had thought up a few fantasies of him and her, most of them involving them in bed.

She smiled at thought, " _Annali you are so in the wrong head… and that's okay,"_ she donned her blue and gray jacket and made her way to the elevator and down to Engineering. The elevator stopped at Med-Bay and Adam and the tall tower Tullvus, the Trianis's Doctor.

"Hey Annie, you ready to see the match unfold? I hope you trained that poor sap well to at least suffer a few blows," the giants voice boomed as he walks into the elevator.

"Yes I am and I gave him some basics to work from as well as some advice on evening the playing field. I know he will stand a chance," Annali states proudly.

"Good, because if Alliance command hears about a sparring match between a human and Turian, and the Turian won, it won't be pretty for either of us," Adam explains, getting into the elevator.

"No one mentioned this to the Captain right?" Annali asks concerned. If the Captain knew this was going to happen then the fight would be forbidden and the person who suggested it, would be kicked off the ship. Usually, fights between crew members were allowed to settle disputes but against another species was a whole different story.

"Everyone knows the rule, don't worry Annali she doesn't know. And hopefully she doesn't catch it," Tullvus says nervously.

The elevator doors open to the Main Deck and the two medics get off, "We'll be here in case either Ja'quar or the human gets seriously hurt," Tullvus says and Adam nods in agreement.

"Thanks guys, I'll go get the Ma- Tereshkova from his dorm. Tell me through my Omni-tool if you see Ja'quar, okay?" she tells them and they nod in agreement, "I'll be back," she says and the doors close and the elevator ascends. Her heart is racing, thinking about the chances of Max even winning the fight. She has complete faith in him, believing he has what it takes to beat Ja'quar or at least putting up a fight with him, " _I hope he can do it… he has to,"_ she says to herself. The doors open and before she can step out, Ja'quar steps right in front of her, startling her.

"Hey there Annie, coming to get your Human pet?" he asks smugly.

"I think you mean Engineer Tereshkova, stupid," she says and side steps him to get out of the elevator but his arm stops her.

"You know, I feel bad you're putting him up against me. How about a wager, eh?" he asks. Annali want to elbow the hell out of his neck to finally shut him up but she's too disciplined to force herself to do that.

"What kind of wager?" she asks curiously.

"It's a pretty simple and easy bet; You win, I leave you alone; But if I win, you have to promise me a date to the Citadel. Deal?" he says offering his hand to her, his smug face making her want to break his head horns and stab them into his eyes. But the thought of getting him off her back is very tempting. However, the chance is high she will lose it. She grits her teeth together as she accepts the hand.

"Fine," she says coldly and quickly withdraws her hand from his hand.

"I expect to feel your hands on mine after the match. Catch ya later," he says and steps into the elevator. The doors close and his smug face is the last thing she sees. Her anger finally getting to her she punches the wall hard, denting it. She breathes hard as she mentally kicks herself for falling for his trick into accepting the bet. She always hated herself for losing her cool to him even after one conversation, she had strayed from her original friends because of him. She thought back to Max and his soothing words, his advice and wisdom, calming her down. She knew she liked him more than a friend, he was like Ja'quar but the complete opposite. Max got under her skin, in a good way, and always made her laugh other than make her angry. His presence made her feel comfortable and relaxed.

She walked the rest of the way thinking about him and entered the Engineering room. It was quiet, except for the hum of the Eezo core. Ranan, Dray, and Cay weren't at their stations. Assuming they were at the ring getting ready for the fight, she followed the walkway to Max's Room. As she walked, she heard some grunting noises coming from the room and she wondered what he could be doing, "Max? You there?" she called, peeking in. She opened the door fully and saw he was on the ground doing push-ups with one arm behind his back. His body glistened with sweat as he continued going down and pushing himself back up. Max notices her and does one final push-up before standing up.

"Hey Annie, I mean Annali. Just working out before my time comes," he says stretching his arms from one side to the other.

"I hope you don't mean something else by that," she says leaning against the wall.

"Of course not, not when my actual time comes, no," he says taking a cloth and drying his face and neck with it.

"Good, because I can't afford you to go so early," she says, expressing a little bit of sadness in her voice.

"Why not, I'm like everyone else… just another person. I've spent most of my life just being a regular person, just wanting to live my life and be done with it," he says throwing the towel away and digging through his bag for another shirt, "I haven't the slightest bit of a chance against him and I don't think I plan on raising the stakes," he says and pulls out the shirt he was looking for.

" _If only they weren't,"_ Annali says to herself, looking down sadly and looks back up at Max seriously, "Max you can't not give it your all in this fight. Please you have to try," she begs, walking up to him as he ties his boots.

"Why should I? I have nothing to fight for, nothing to win," he says depressingly as he ties his the last knot on his boot. Annali frowns and cups his face in her hands, bringing it to her face.

"You can fight for me," she says, bringing her forehead to his. Max is surprised by this but smiles, the feeling of being cared about again washes through him. His hands clasp her hands gently and brings them together and he stands back up tall. Annali looks up at him expectantly, unsure how he will take it, "You know… I think my Maximillian Confidence Meter just flew to 100%. Thanks Annali, I needed that," he says and lets go of her hands.

"Part of my job involves persuading crew members to try their best. Now show me your best," she says giving him a friendly punch.

"You bet," Max says with a smile and the two head out of Engineering and into the Elevator.

The elevator quickly descends down to the Main Deck, Max and Annali quickly run out as soon as the doors open making their way to the sparring gym. Already the emptiness and silence of the dorms from the crew members settles in, creating an eerie feeling as if walking through a thriller movie, "I guess everyone got the memo," Max says.

"If there's a fight going to happen, of course everyone is going to it, including the Captain," Annali explains, some shouting can be heard as they approach the sparring room.

"T-The Captain is going to be there too? Won't that make things worse between us, as a partnership?" he asks concerned.

"Not in this fight, everyone took the precaution of keeping it quiet. They know what will happen I one of the crew members picks a fight with a different species. Now come on, you don't want to look like you wussied out," she explains and grabs his arm to quicken their pace. They get to the entrance and there are two crew members guarding the door, as if watching for the Captain to come out at any second. They see Veren and the Human walk out from the corner and quickly open the door, revealing the crowd of people surrounding the ring, with Ja'quar in the middle.

"Talk about Royalty, huh?" he says as Annali leads him through the door. The crowd turns to the door and cheer as they see the Human Engineer enter the room. The crowd splits to make a walkway for Max and Annali. Max is astounded at the amount of people who came to watch the Human fight the Turian.

"I didn't know you had this many friends," she says sarcastically as they walk to Max's side of the ring.

"Neither did I," he responds as he look around the room again, still astounded at the amount of people present in the room, " _Holy shit! I'm so sorry mom,"_ he says to himself. Annali pulls out some gloves from her pocket and pulls Max's hands to strap them on.

Annali looks up at him as she puts on the gloves for him, his eyes not looking at her but his hands, some nervousness showing, "You nervous Max?" she asks trying to get in his line of sight.

"Huh, oh, I guess, perhaps…yes, I am," he says, a sad smile on his face.

"Come on Max, I believe you can kick the hell out of him, everyone here knows you will. Don't let him get to you," she says and straps the last hand, " -okay?" she asks smiling. Max smiles back and grips her hands tightly but gently.

"I hear you. *sigh*Here we go," he says and climbs up on the platform and over the ropes, the crowd erupting in cheers and whistles, happy that he's willing to go up against Ja'quar. Max has a whole view of the entire room, the vibrations coming from the crowd's yells and cheers bouncing in and out of his stomach. Max makes a full 360 turn and finds Ja'quar on his side lifting his arms up, raising the crowd. Ja'quar turns and sees him, the two narrow their eyes down on each other, knowing this is the time to settle things straight.

"Well, looks like the fur ball finally came out from his cave and decided to have some fun," he says with an evil grin. Max doesn't reply and follows the advice of Ma'Rice and Dray to not fall for his conversation starters, "What's the matter, afraid I might get you in the throat?" he asks, making the posse behind him laugh. Max stays silent until the referee climbs up and over the ropes, waving for the two fighters to come together. Max and Ja'quar get really close to each other, trying to size each other even though they are the same height.

"Okay, you know the rules; biting and spitting are not allowed, punching, kicking and possible moves that can damage the other opponent is allowed, Understood?" he says, looking at both contestants. The two nod in understanding and back away to their posts, "At the sound of the ding, you may engage," he announces and jumps out the ring. Max's heart is racing at a thousand beats per second. The time had come for him to either win it or lose it, still unsure if he can even stand up to him. He sits down at the small seat in his corner and notices Annali is just under him outside the ring.

"You got this Max," she says, making max smile. He turns to Ja'quar's side, his team already finishing up with him. The referee blows the whistle, signaling for the fighters to prepare. The two get up and walk to each other and then stop, keeping a reasonable distance from each other and bring their arms up, ready.

"By the ding, the match will start. There will be two rounds, and two rounds only. Get ready," the referee calls out. Max readies himself and so does Ja'quar.

*Ding*

Quickly Ja'quar makes the first move and throws a quick jab to the face, to which Max easily blocks and backs off. Max quickly walks back up to him, avoiding getting cornered. Ja'quar quickly sends a kick for Max's knees but Max quickly reacts and block it and narrowly blocks a punch that would have gotten him in the face. Max backs off quickly to assess the marks and sees they're merely scratches. This quick assessment costs him a fist to the face which fazes him but he regains his composition and grabs Ja'quar's arm and throws him into the sidelines. He catches himself and bounces back with an air kick, scratching Max's arm.

"GAAH," Max yelps in pain and quickly backs off. His arm has two red marks made by the talons on his feet, " _Son of a bitch,"_ he says and decides to go on the offensive. He quickly runs up to Ja'quar and takes a few swings at him, which Ja'quar dodges easily and counters with some direct punches to Max's kidney area. Max flinches in pain and pushes Ja'quar back, breathing heavily. He wants to use his N7 skills but he has to keep a low profile. If the Captain finds out about the fight and he won, then suspicion is directed on him and the Alliance.

"Ooh, looks like I discovered something new about you furries; you don't take well to the gut, eh?" Ja'quar taunts him, making Max mad. Annali notices Max is in trouble but she knows she can't do anything to help him but offer some support.

"Max, don't let him get to you. Your anger is your downfall," she shouts over the crowd. Max nods with a smile and shakes off the pain. He quickly throws a punch directly at Ja'quar, he blocks it but Max's punch breaks his shield and Max takes the opportunity to follow up with an upper cut. Ja'quar sees his strategy and side steps him, making him miss and Max receives a knee to his gut, winding him. Max falls to the floor and quickly rolls back to his side, dodging a stomp from Ja'quar. Max leans on the pole, clutching his gut. Annali sees his struggle and gets up on the platform, "Come on Max, you got this, remember what I taught you at the punching bag; punch-punch, trick then overhand punch," she says quickly. Max looks at her, smiles, and gets back in the ring. The crowd cheers at his quick recovery and his continued bravery.

Max takes a few punches to his stomach and then retaliates with two punches and then an uppercut. Ja'quar falls for the trick and lowers his guard to block his hand but Max bears a massive fist down over him and across the face. The crowd gasps as a loud crack can be heard, neither Ja'quar nor Max move, the room silent. Annali breaks the silence and cheers for Max, "YEAH, THERE YOU GO JASON, KEEP GOING," she yells out followed by the cheer of the crowd, all yelling for him to keep going. Max smiles at this and backs off, ready for Ja'quar to make the first move. Ja'quar is pissed, not liking that the human took his people from him so easily.

"You got nothing on me," Max teases him, Ja'quar's mandibles twitching in pure rage. He spits out some blood and wipes himself.

"You haven't seen anything yet," he says, and as soon as he says it, he is gone. Max doesn't see him react so quickly, he doesn't see the armored fist come across his face. He falls on the floor with a loud thud and he opens his eyes to see another fist bear down on him, slamming his head down on the floor hard. Ja'quar begins to pummel him with punch after punch with pure hatred for the human. Annali gasps as Max takes the beating of a lifetime. Max's ears begin to ring as his head bounces in and out of reality. Max brings his arms up to his face and uses his legs to grab hold of Ja'quar's and he scissors him, breaking his balance and falling to the floor. Max gets up quickly before Ja'quar can do anything to try to hurt him again, his breathing heavy and tired. Max stumbles as his head pounds with pain, his hand on his side to protect his kidney area.

"I… I can't…" Max mumbles. His mind still in serious conflict whether to use his training or keep being the boy he was back in the bushes on Shanxi, looking at his family helpless as the firing squad takes aim.

"Max don't give up, please," Annali pleads with Max. She bangs her head on the pole and keeps it there, angry at herself for making him fight Ja'quar, " _I'm so stupid, so, so stupid,"_ she says, hating herself for getting him in there.

Max puts his hands up, ready to fight, still not using his training to even the match. He launches another punch and Ja'quar dodges it easily and then elbows his back, making Max fall to his knees but he quickly jumps back up and turns but his face meets the jagged knee of the Turian. The world goes black as the hit connects and he is sent flying back to his side, blood dripping from his nose and onto the floor. The crowd gasps as the human lays motionless on his side of the ring. Annali gasps, fearing the worst has happened to him, she tries to get in the ring to check him but Tullvus holds her back.

"Let me go," she yells, trying to shake his grip on her arms.

"If you enter the ring, he loses automatically. There's still a chance," he says looking back at the ring. Annali looks back at Max and sees his face frown, meaning he's still conscious.

"HA what's the matter human, did you lose your will to fight or are you just waiting for me to come over there and say I'm sorry?" he taunts him, his posse laughs at his lame joke and he turns to address them. Annali reaches her arm in and holds his hand, hoping he'll hear her.

"Max, come on, you have to get up, please. You have to get up," she calls for him. He bares his teeth as the pain intensifies more. He responds by squeezing Annali's hand, meaning he heard her but just barely, "Max you can't let everyone down, everyone here believes in you; Adam, Tullvus, Ranan, Dray, Cay, they all believe in you… I believe in you," she says, her feelings starting to unfold form her mouth. Max exhales heavily, struggling to gather the will power to continue. Annali frowns and decides to try something else, letting go of his hand, "Come on Max are you going to give up on us that easily? What would your brother say about you?" she asks, using his past to give him something to get angry about. His brows angle down toward his eyes as he lets the words sink, "What would your mother say, huh? You can't save anyone, you couldn't save her…," she says. He growls in anger and his fists curl up into a fist, scaring her but she continues, "I thought you father taught you how to fight, turns out he's as much of a coward as you are, YOU'VE ALREADY GIVEN UP," she yells. That did it. Max's eyes open, his pupils expanded to nearly over his irises. He shoots back up, his breathing heavy and furious. Ja'quar turns around to see Max back up and smiles.

"You just don't learn do ya?" he says and quickly launches a punch at Max's face. His arm stops suddenly and he looks at Max; his hand caught in Max's. He tries to pull back his hand but Max keeps his grip on him. Ja'quar looks into Max's eyes and sees his iris nonexistent, his pupil had consumed it in complete darkness. Ja'quar now scared tries to frantically pull his hand away but his hand can't get freed. He finally stops and looks at Max's face again, his brows scrunch tighter. Max brings Ja'quar's hand under his arm and puts him in a joint lock, "AAHH" Ja'quar yelps in pain. Max bends his arm even further making him scream in pain, "GAAAAHHH," Ja'quar screams in pain, and eventually submits and leans forward to ease the pressure on his joint. Everyone cheers for Max's comeback, but the cheers die down as Max doesn't let him go still adding pressure to him making Ja'quar scream even more. Annali doesn't like where this is going and speaks up.

"Max you can let him go now," she calls out. Max looks down at her, his cold black eyes telling Annali to shut up. Annali knows that look, the same he had when she first asked about his family, she doesn't like it.

Ja'quar takes the chance and flips himself forward, slipping his hand out of Max's grip and then proceeds to kicking him in the shins, but doesn't make an effect on Max, "You have the nerve to embarrass me like that Human. You'll regret that," he says and jumps to give Max a kick to face but Max catches his leg and he swings him around and then throws him on the floor, hard and he follows up by ground pounding his fist into Ja'quar's chest, knocking the absolute wind out of him. He wheezes as the air escapes his lungs and I left immobile. Max grabs his neck and issues a straight punch to his face. A loud crack can be heard as he breaks Ja'quar's nose with one punch, blood spurting from his face now, GAAHH," he screams in pain and tries to back away but Max grabs him by the collar and drags him to the pole and throws him on it and knees his face against the hard metal pole, more blood sprays out from his face as max rams his face again and again. The crowd gasp and look at each other, unsure whether to stop him or not. Annali looks at Jason in astonishment, she had never thought he would do this.

" _Oh Spirits,"_ she says, still not willing to do anything to stop him.

Max stops his barrage on Ja'quar and grabs him by the neck, lifting up the bruised and battered Turian to his bloody face, "Skull face," Max says murderously. He throws Ja'quar to the floor and kicks him so hard he flies to the other side. The crowd gasps again and back away from the ring, scared at the Human's sudden murderous tone.

"Annali you have to end this now," Tullvus tells Annali. Instinctively, Annali rushes in and tries to get in Max's way to Ja'quar but her foot gets snagged in the ropes.

" _Damn,_ MAX STOP, HE'S HAD ENOUGH!" she yells out to him but he looks at her and then back at Ja'quar.

"Where are you going little chicken?" Max asks, his tone stalkish and dark.

"Nowhere… yet," Ja'quar says and jumps up quickly and gives a hard right punch to Max. Max backs off and his face scrunches up in anger and the two start to give it their all. Max gets a few punches in as well as Ja'quar, both receiving the same blows. Loud cracks can be heard as Max and Ja'quar duke it out, Max doesn't hold back anymore and uses his N7 training to even the playing field. He catches Ja'quar's foot and pulls him in close to him and head-butts his head. Ja'quar recovers quickly and jabs his talon at Max's torso, and Max punches him in the stomach.

"MAX STOP, SOMEONE GET SECURITY HERE NOW," Annali orders, some people run out of the door hastily. She untangles her foot and runs to the fighters, "ENOUGH!" she says pushing Ja'quar back. Ja'quar back hands her with all his might and she falls to the floor, she did not expect that, "Fuck," she says and touches the impact mark, blue blood running down her mandible. Max sees what he did to her and his rage reaches its peak.

"RRAAAAAHHH," he screams in pure rage and delivers a well-placed punch to Ja'quar's face, a loud crack sounds off as the hit connects. Ja'quar is sent flying into the pole, slightly bending it at an angle, his head hanging unconsciously. Max breathes heavily as the bloodlust dies down, his irises return and the room looks a lot less red. Max looks at Ja'quar, his nose busted and bleeding, his friends get in the ring and start to assess Ja'quar's injuries. Max takes a step back, and looks at his hands, covered in blood both his and Ja'quar's. Annali looks at Max's face of fear, he was not in control of his actions and he was worried if he hurt Ja'quar really bad.

"M-Max… your… bleeding," Annali states seeing the dark red patch off blood in his kidney area, the area where Ja'quar jabbed his talon. Max looks down and sees the black red dot, he touches it and his finger tips are soaked in blood. Annali stares wide eyed at him.

The doors slam open as security rushes in along with the Captain, "What the hell is going on in here?" she orders. No one speaks but looks up at the bloodied Human. Max sees the Captain and then looks at Annali still on the floor.

"A… Ann…" he trails off as he falls to his knees and his head sways in dizziness before falling unconscious.

The two medics quickly rush him and open their first aid kits, taking out gauze and scanning his body. The Captain jumps up into the ring and walks over to Annali, "Get up, you have some explaining to do Veren," she says coldly.

"Yes mam," Annali responds and quickly rushes to Max's side. The Captain stands over them, observing the humans physique; bruises and cuts litter his torso and face.

"What's wrong with him?" the Captain asks.

"Deep stab wound to his lower abdomen, I'm afraid he's bleeding out from the inside. We have to get him to Med-Bay, NOW," Adam orders. The Captain waves some Securitel personnel to help and they quickly surround them.

"We need to get this man to Med-Bay. Carry him to the elevator and do whatever the medic tells you to do, HURRY," she hollers. The men nod and quickly together pick up the massive Human and carefully lower him down off the ring. Annali quickly follows suit and rushes ahead of the group to the elevators and opens them for the group. They rush in with Max and she punches in the console for Med-Bay. The elevator shoots up to Med-Bay quickly and opens up. They run across the hallway and two of the Securitel opens the doors as they rush him in. Annali tries to enter the Med-Bay but the Captain stops her in her tracks, "I don't think you should go in Veren. We will wait here until we get a report from the Docs," she says. Annali nods and sits down on a nearby bench, placing her face in her hands.

"I'm so stupid…" Annali says plainly. Caepraka looks Annali and sees she means more to that.

"Did Ja'quar get to you?" she asks. Annali doesn't respond to the question, "Well?" she asks again more sternly.

"Yes mam, he… did," she responds not looking up.

"That bastard never shuts his trap ever. In a way, I'm glad the human gave him the ass whooping of a lifetime," she says nodding. Annali looks up at her and Caepraka sees her distress. She sits down next to her places an arm over the troubled Liaison, "You… feel for the human… don't you?" she asks. Annali looks down shamefully away from the Captain, "Don't worry, I'm… not as mad as you think," she explains. Annali looks to her slightly but doesn't feel reassured. Neither of them say anything for a while and rather wait while the two medics do whatever they have to do with Max. Meanwhile, Annali keeps hating herself for forcing Max to fight but in her defense she wasn't about to pledge a date with a jackass, still it wasn't enough to convince her it was justified.

After about two hours, the doors open and Adam walks out with some blood stains on his hands. Annali and Caepraka stand up for the news, "Max is fine now, we just had to stitch up the cut and apply some Medi-gel. He should be good to work in no time, about tomorrow morning I believe. Possibly earlier," Adam states and waves for the two to come in. They follow him inside and he pulls back the curtain to reveal a shirtless bandaged Max, a red dot staining the bandage circling his torso. He turns to the visitors and smiles when he sees Annali.

"Hey Annie, how's it going?" Max asks with a weak tone to his voice.

"N-Nothing much… just waiting till you were good enough to talk to, you look like a grape," Annali jokes, half smiling. Max chuckles then switches to a cough, his wound still not fully healed.

"Take it easy Max, I would refrain from humor for the rest of the day," Adam tells him and then turns to address the Captain, "The Turian is in the other room if you want to talk to him Captain, Tullvus is in there dealing with him," Adam explains.

"Thank you Montero, I will," she replies with a dark tone to her voice and enters the next room, locking it from the inside.

Annali takes a chair and sits down next to Max bed and grabs his hand, lightly squeezing it as not to hurt him. Adam sees this and smiles, "I'll leave you two alone for now, I've got stuff to do with… something," Adam says and leaves the room, leaving Annali and Max alone.

"Well looks like someone cares about me, hmph," he says with a smile. Annali smiles a little but looks down in shame again. Max sees her sadness and tugs her hand to get her attention, "You okay, you look like you're blaming yourself… is it because of the fight?" he asks. Annali looks up but doesn't look at him instead at their joined hands.

"Part of it is because of the fight, yes. I made you fight for something that didn't involve you at all. You fought for nothing and because of me you're in Med-bay with a stab wound in your belly. I'm probably the worst Liaison officer in the Galaxy," she says to herself, letting her head fall on the railing. Max takes his other hand and caresses her carapace to get her to look back up at him. She feels his warm hand on her head and looks up at him, her eyes watery.

"You are not the worst Liaison Annali, if I hadn't met you I wouldn't have had the best four days of my life in 25 years happen to me. I met your friends, I played Uno with you guys and lost… twice," Annali giggles at the memory when he first introduce the game to them, "-I confessed my life story to you which felt good and so did you, I had the fight of my life and almost died, Heh-heh, that was cool," he says chuckling again and then coughing as he the wound told him to keep his mouth shut, "But it wouldn't have been fun if you weren't there Annali, this ship wouldn't be the same if you weren't a part of it," he says with a warm smile. Annali smiles toward his kind thoughts and stands up to lean over him, her face close to his.

"This ship wouldn't be the same if you were on the Victrition, Annali Veren," Max says, his hand still on the back of her head. Annali smiles and inches her face closer to his.

"This ship wouldn't be the same if you weren't here, Max Tereshkova," she says and her lips interlock with his. She had read up on Human intimacy exchanges and she saw this was the traditional way of expressing love. She liked it however, something about it made her relax and feel intimate as she took in this new feeling, his lips were so soft compared, Max was surprised that her lips were just as soft. This didn't bother either of them anyway as they fell deeper into the kiss. Unconsciously, Annali swings her leg over Max's and gets on top of him, getting on the bed with him. They break the kiss, panting heavily after holding their breath for so long, "Spirits… that was…" she trails off unable to come up with any words to describe the feeling.

"Good?" Max finishes her sentence.

"Amazing," she says instead and kisses him again, bringing her hands to his cheeks to steady him. Max's hands travel down from her head and down to her small waist, taking in every curve and feature she has down to her posterior. Suddenly some crashing can be heard within the room where Caepraka entered and locked the door, startling Max and Annali, "Seems she's angry about something," she assumes. Some more crashing sounds and then door's lock makes a clicking sound, signaling the doors about to open. Max thinks quickly and picks up Annali by the waist and places her in her chair and lies back down on the bed as if nothing happened, just as soon as the door opens and Caepraka stomps out the door, "Is everything alright Captain?" Annali asks. She shoots a glare at Annali and continues walking to the door to leave the Med-Bay but stops at the door and turns to Annali.

"I want your side of the story in a report by tomorrow morning Veren, understood?" she asks. Annali nods and the Captain leaves, the doors closing behind her.

"Best you leave now, I don't think you want the Captain to get any madder than she is now. See you in the morning?," Max asks shifting in his bed to sit up. Annali sighs and stands up to leave.

"Sure… maybe even wake up to each other," she says before leaning over him and kissing him again. She then breaks it and turns to leave, giving Max a seductive look before disappearing behind the doors. Max chuckles again but no pain comes to him, only the feeling of being cared about again washes over him. What would his family say if they knew about this?

" _I don't care, as long as she's here, I can live again,"_ he says to himself, closing his eyes and falling to sleep.

As Annali leaves the Med-Bay, she touches her lips where she can still feel his lips presence on them. She was so glad Max felt the same she did him. The feeling of someone caring for her washes over her making her sigh in bliss. What would her mother feel about this?

" _She would want me to be happy… with him,"_ she tells herself, hoping she's right as she steps into the elevator. Powering up her Omni-tool, she checks the time and it's 9:36 A.M. still early in the day if she was on planet.

As the elevator descends down to the Crew's Quarters, Annali thinks about their newfound relationship. How would they keep it a secret, and for how long? She was in a bit of a conflict with herself; she had been in a relationship with Ma'Rice but she didn't take the relationship far enough that they were actually close. They were great friends, and still are, but it seemed better if they remained friends. Strangely, she hadn't learned much about her own kinds anatomy, though she felt weird for having only studied the Humans anatomy and Biological Preferences. Strangely, she knew more about Max than she does with Ma'Rice, and the others, " _Wow… what a thought?"_ she says to herself. The doors open, revealing Ma'Rice standing at the door.

"Oh, hey Annie, how's Max, is he doing alright?" he asks as Annali steps out, "I was just about to go to Med-Bay to find him," he adds.

"He's okay, thankfully," she reassures him.

"Thank the Spirits he's fine, it would have been bad if it had gotten worse," he implies.

"True, Ja'quar got him in the gut and he was bleeding internally. It was nothing serious after they stitched it and slapped some Medi-gel on it," she explains.

"And what about Ja'quar? Sorry, that's not important for me to know, forget I asked you," he says quickly.

"Well I can tell you one good thing, he got a piece of the Captain's mind I believe. There was some noise coming from his room when she entered the room. I hope the worst has come to him," Annali explains, making Ma'Rice smile.

"Hey, the guys are planning a celebration for Max's victory, when's he coming out?" he asks.

"They said he should be good by tomorrow morning, or if at the earliest when we should be asleep. I hope he's all better by tomorrow," she says as they walk to her cabin.

"Why, is there something you have in mind for him?" he asks curiously.

"Yup, I'm taking him on field trip," she says and they reach her cabin. The door opens as it identifies Annali's Omni-tool tag.

"Where to?" he asks.

"Somewhere the Captain has asked me to go and investigate. A possible Cerberus campsite but probably nothing big," she explains before stepping inside.

"Right, just don't get him shot this time, he's already a different shade of purple. It would be bad if you add a bullet to him," he says shaking his head at the thought.

"He'll be fine as long as I'm there, I'll bring him back in one piece. I won't let anything happen to him, buh-bye," she says before closing the door on him.

"I'll hold you to that," he yells at the door, hoping she heard him and walking away.

Annali locks the door and heads to the shower, wanting to forget of the events that followed early in the morning, but not everything. She takes off her jacket along with her undershirt letting the cold air hit her. She shakes this off and proceeds to taking off her pants and off with her undergarments. She gets the full blow of cold air as she makes her way to the shower. Turning on the water and adjusting to the temperature is always something one has to endure but when the warm water comes, it makes it all worthwhile. She steps into the shower and laughs as her face is warmed up by the sweet caresses of the trickily substance. Her skin felt even smoother with the water hydrating her. She had the common condition of having really smooth skin and body plates, she was always commented on by her friends about her hands being too delicate. After she went through Special forces training her hands were still warm and smooth to the touch, surprising for her. She looks down to her hands, touching them with her fingers, feeling her smoothness. Sometimes she wonders what can make them dry but she would rather keep her blessing. She continues washing her herself, struggling to get the hard to reach places her plated arms would allow her. It always was a struggle to enjoy herself in the shower, the only time to relax. Trying to get her back was hard enough so she gave up and moved onto her legs, her spurs were easy to wash and get done with along with the rest. After she was done, she turned off the water and dried herself off. Putting on some clean clothes she heads out of her cabin to the cafeteria having not eaten in the morning when she could but now hunger has really announced itself to her so she was easy to persuade.

The cafeteria was littered with people, their lunch time had come as well, " _Hm, guess I'm not the only one who forgot to eat this morning,"_ she says to herself. She lines up and takes her food along with a Dextro-drink, the traditional Turian ration drink. Sitting herself down at a lone table she digs in to her meal, the taste of food making her smile greatly, " _Spirits how I've missed food, mmm,"_ she says to herself.

She spends the rest of the time taking her time to finish up her meal, not paying attention to the time flying by. She finishes her meal and puts it in the tray and quickly heads back to her cabin, almost forgetting to write the report for Caepraka. She sits down at her desk and flips up the console and starts to type everything that happened to Ja'quar threatening her in the Gym to Max standing up for her to Ja'quar bribing her with a wager up until the fight. Very brief, but it wasn't hard to write a report for anything, "And send," she says as the report is sent to the Captain. Laying back on her chair she decides to head out again, deciding to go to the shooting range and prepare for the mission tomorrow. Her original thought was to invite Max over for a little shooting contest but he may still be Med-Bay. Taking the elevator down to shuttle bay, she enters the shooting range, letting the counselor in charge of the range scan her ID and letting her in. She takes a few thermal clips, a Vindicator, and a Carnifex. She walks over to the range, strangely no one came to practice as well. Usually there were people challenging each other in shooting contests but today it was only her, " _Good enough for me,"_ she says to herself. She loads a thermal clip into her Vindicator, switching to semi-auto, and takes aim at one of the targets, " _3…2…1… breathe and-"_

*Bang*

The gun fires off a shot and it hits the painted target in the head. Annali smiles at her successful shot and switches to burst fire. Three shots go off and they the same spot she hit before, red hot burn marks are left from the impact spot. The rest of the time she spends is shooting targets and boring holes into them. She practiced firing off all her rounds from her Assault rifle then quickly switching to her Carnifex to continue laying down fire, all this was for tomorrow as a precaution for keeping Max alive when she takes him with her. Max is a very capable person, she believed that, but knowing he was minimally trained to fight as engineer in combat means there is always the possibility he might not be as smart and tactical as she is, "Still, I can't underestimate his abilities. I trust they taught him well," she says to herself. Finishing up a few more simulations, she collapses her assault rifle and pistol and places them back in their lockers along with the rest of the arsenal.

Annali walks over to the elevator and instinctively presses Crew's quarters. During the ride, she grows curious of Max's background, of course he gave her his life story but she didn't know him characteristically; what does or did he like to do, could he speak a different language? That sort of stuff. The doors open, and she's surprised she landed in Engineering deck, "Did I not go for Crews?" she asks herself and looks at the console; the Engineering Deck is highlighted for her selection, "I guess that was unconscious. Maybe since I'm here…" she thinks up a plan but she doesn't like it, "No, no, that's not right, I shouldn't… but…" she is unsure whether to follow up with her plan or abandon it. Her greater curiosity overwhelms her and she heads for the Engine room, " _This is stupid… but I really want to know more,"_ she says to herself, trying to find an excuse for what she's about to do. She enters the Engine room and finds No one is there, they must be on break. She takes the walkway to Max's room and steps inside, taking light steps she peeks in and finds it is empty.

She breathes a sigh of relief and takes a look around the room; he had hung up some his clothes in the nearby small closet, there was an Earth calendar hung up over his bed, marking the days of the month and the months of the year. She saw a particular day was circled and had some writing on it. She didn't know much of the human language except a few she had heard Max say when she had her translator off. She scanned the wording on it with her Omni-tool and it translated to 'Birthday' on the 22nd of February. Today was the 27th so five days had passed, it wasn't too long ago. Five days ago he came aboard the Trianis, he came on his birthday. This was a heartwarming feeling for Annali, she wasn't aware his birthday was just a few days ago, so the question remains, "How old is he now?" she asks herself. She remembered him saying he was two years old when Relay 315 occurred so fast forwarding to now… he was 26 years old now, "Same as me," she tells herself, glad he isn't in his 50's or older. After that she continued looking around, she was already learning a lot about him. Taking a look at his console she finds the bottle of Tequila she had given back to him and the untouched credits of Cay enveloped in an envelope with some writing she translated to 'Give to Cay when possible', "I guess he really does care for his friends… a lot," she says and moves on. She sees he has a few bags under his bed and pulls them out. Now this was the uncomforting part of what she going to do, she opens up the smaller bag and sifts through, finding some containers she assumed were sprays, a comb for his silky soft hair, headphones with a small tablet of some sort, and a bunch of other miscellaneous items, "Well that was uninteresting," she says and closes the bag up and puts it back under the bed. She takes the big one and feels it is really heavy with stuff so she leaves it on the ground and opens it. Annali finds some sort of hard plates in there, the design had no features or even anything that would tell her what it was so she gave up and threw back in. She continues sifting through a finds something thin and bendable and pulls it out; it's a picture with some people on it, a father and a mother with two small boys in the middle, "This must be his family," she says sadly. His father was tall and buff with his mother being shorter but also beautiful if she wasn't mistaken. Annali brushed a finger against the photo, remembering when she used to have a mother, how she played with her every day she could when she was off work and then up to the day she didn't come home. She felt like crying again but the thought of Max losing his entire family made her think losing her mother was nothing compared to what Max had to go through, "Poor Max, I'm so sorry. I hope you've found peace," she tells his family, feeling sorry for his family dying at the hands of her kind. She carefully places the photo back in the bag but feels something solid as she reaches in. She gabs the object and pulls out a large wooden object of some sort with wires running down its length, "Now what is this?" she asks herself. She stand ups and observes the objects curvature, it's weird alien design looked very strange, she had never seen anything like it.

*BEEEOOOMMM*

The room goes dark as the power shuts off, " _Oh what now?"_ she asks. The lights come back on and the Core roars to life again.

* **All systems rebooting! All crew remain calm, just a routine system shut down and start up. Air condition will be temporarily disabled for the next few days for an upcoming operation with the SSV Kilimanjaro. Resume to your duties as scheduled***

A persons voice goes off announcing the situation, startling Annali at first but sighs in relief it wasn't anything serious. She goes back to looking at the instrument and twiddles the different types of strings, making a soft tune. She brushes her fingers across them again and the strings vibrate louder creating more sound. She takes the round back of the instrument and hugs it with her right arm while holding the neck with her left. The position seemed comfortable for her but she didn't know what to do after that, "What, do I… flick them this way or…" she brushes the strings again and the soft steady tune comes again. She brushes them again a few times and creates a sort of beat with it. Already, Annali had it figured out and came up with a small tune for herself, she had found the strings had different thicknesses and each one made a higher or lower pitch depending on how hard she flicked them, "I think I've got the hang of this," she tells herself, smiling.

"That you do," a familiar voice sounds off, startling Annali.

"AAH," she yelps, jumping up off of Max's bed with the guitar still in her arms. She looks over at the door and sees Max standing there smiling and leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, "W-wha…" she tries to say something but she can't.

"You know, for a Turian you can do a lot with just three fingers. You can handle a small beat but with two extra digits…" he says taking the guitar and putting it in his arms. He plays a fast tune, his fingers fiddling and switching positions to create the perfect and most lively tune she had ever heard, "And that's a solo for you," he says handing the guitar back to her.

"I guess this was designed for your kind only. Not my area of expertise anyway," she says placing her fingers on the strings.

"Speaking of area of expertise, what are you doing in here?" he asks walking past her and picking up the duffel bag that held the guitar.

"Oh, I was just uh… looking through your stuff basically; part of my job is to make sure no one who comes aboard the Trianis has anything that would threaten the well-being of the crew," she explains, trying to cover her actual purpose.

"Oh, okay, that's understandable," he says and turns to Annali, "So why are you really here?" he asks. She knows he knows she isn't here for that. He is good at reading her, so she wasn't surprised when he knew she was lying so quickly.

"*sigh* I-I guess I just wanted to know more about you. That part is part of my job though," she confesses, rubbing her arm in embarrassment. Max nods at this and steps forward to her.

"You know there are other ways to get to know me better," he states, already close in front of Annali.

"Other ways?" she asks, frowning. He leans in and delivers her a small kiss, catching her off guard. She falls for the kiss however, catching his drift, and pushes him down onto bed, "I think I know what you mean by that," she says seductively, leaning in for another, feeling his soft puffy lips on hers once again. She climbs on top of him, being careful of the bandaged area on his abdomen, and places her hands against his pecs, feeling the muscle under the shirt and its hard texture. Her anxiety increasing as her hands travel up to his neck and over to his shoulders, traveling down to his hands. They break the kiss to catch their breaths and look into each other's eyes, both knowing what they want. Annali helps take Max's shirt off, revealing the well-toned body of the Human she had fallen for, "Oh my," she says, grinning a seductive smile. Max's hands had traveled up to her waist that were so undeniably attractive, the way it slimmed down and then out to create her hips, oh so beautiful. Annali sees Max's excitement and decides to take off her jacket, taking off the collar first and down to her white sleeveless shirt, revealing her dark tan skin and light tan arm plates that travel down to her backs of her hands, "More?" she asks teasingly. Max smiles and nods. Annali returns the smile and brings her hands down to the end of her shirt and slowly starts to bring it up.

"Hey Max you in here?" Dray's voice calls out. The two stare wide eyed at each other and Annali jumps off of Max and quickly puts her jacket back on and sits down on the chair by the console flipping up her Omni-tool while Max sits up and puts the guitar in his arms as if he was about to play. Dray walks in and sees Max and Annali minding their own business, "Oh you are in here. I didn't know you were in here too Annali," he says.

"I came in to check on Max's condition after he came back from Med-Bay. Did you need something?" she asks casually.

"Not really, I just wanted to see if he came back from Med-Bay is all. Hey are those Cay's credits?" he asks looking over at Max's console.

"Oh yeah, I meant to give it to him but it never came to mind. You want 'em?" Max asks as he turns to the console.

"Sure, why not?" he says stepping over and reaches for the credits and takes them.

"Have a nice day sir," Max says as Dray awkwardly walks out.

"Don't tell him anything, ok?" Dray tells Max.

"Trust me friend, I got your back," Max says pounding his chest with his unoccupied arm. Dray leaves the room and walks out, Annali and Max look at the door and listen closely until they hear the door shut, "Well at least that's out of- mmf," Annali interrupts him with a kiss to the lips and pushes him back on the bed, the two quickly take off their tops while still making out. They pick up where they left off and this time Annali takes her shirt off. Max's eyes perk up, staring at her chest but he already knew about the female Turians anatomy.

"*giggle* where you expecting something?" she asks leaning in over his face.

"Oh no of course not, I totally did not know Turians didn't have nipples, of course not, why would you think that?" Max asks sarcastically.

"Well, if it makes you feel any better there is one thing that is here," she tells him, looking down at an area where only he can tell where it is.

"I thought Humans and Turians weren't compatible?" Max asks kissing down her neck to her chest and back up, making her moan in anticipation.

"That's what you're people say, I don't believe them," she says as she sits on his lap, he sits up to tease her with kisses and small bites that make her quiver with pleasure.

"I'm hearing two sides now, which one's true I wonder?" he says as he rolls the two of them over with him on top of her. The two's anticipation grows ever more as they continue to explore each other's upper body.

"Let's find out," she says before she reaches down and takes of the belt and buttons her pants. Max tries to help her take it off but she stops him, waving a finger side to side, "Ah, ah, ah, not yet lover boy," she says reaching down again and un clipping the harness around her spurs. Max nods in understanding and unfastens her other harness and finally manages to pull off her pants and once again another surprise reveals itself to him, underwear.

"Nice to see you wear them too. Unnecessary at this point however," he says as his hands move up her smooth legs and grip the fabric. And again, Annali teases him by stopping him before he pulls them down.

"Might want to close the door first, don't want any more surprises now do we?" she asks pushing him back a little.

"Agreed," he says and gets up. He walks to the door, shuts it and locks it, making sure with his Omni-tool it can't be overridden, "Alright, and now-" as he turns around, he sees Annali's legs up in the air with her underwear already at her ankles and then takes them off completely. Lowering her legs down, he sees his prize waiting for him just between them. She sees his excitement and decides to tease him by spreading her legs, giving him a better view, his jaw literally drops.

"*giggle* So far that's the best expression I've seen you show, now come on, don't keep me waiting," she says as she traces her hands up and down her legs. Max smiles and luckily he's taken off his boots beforehand so he slips his pants off leaving him in only his underwear. He climbs on top of her and the two instinctively lock lips, continually wrestling each other for dominance. Finally, Annali wins and sits just over Max's bulging stiffness. She places her hands on his stomach and guides herself down to the band, slipping a finger in and then pulling down the garment. She gasps at sight of it, not looking alien at all but just seeing it in person just excites her more.

"What's wrong?" Max asks. Annali looks up at him and shakes her head, pressing her body on to his, sharing her heat with his skin and feeling his radiate off him.

"Nothing, just… strange that I'm doing it now. This is my first time so I'm… kind of nervous I guess you could say," she explains, feeling his erect member between her legs.

"We all have a first time eventually, and usually…" he trails off and presses the tip toward her entrance. She gasps at feeling of her flesh being split and the her canal being filled, "… it's something to remember," Max finishes and presses himself more into her. The feeling felt like nothing she ever thought she would experience, there was pain mixed in with some pleasure but pleasure was all she mostly felt, the way his hard member stretched her inner walls and how she tightened her muscles in retaliation, making it tighter and in turn making Max moan in pleasure as well, "G-god… you're so tight," he says as he thrusts in a bit harder making Annali yelp not in pain but in pleasure as her love tunnel gets the massage of a lifetime.

"Y-your s-so big… Spirits that's- Oh" she moans as Max pushes farther inside her, she grips the side of the cushion tightly, Max making her feel so good on the inside. But then Max surprises her by pulling out, her walls gripping his member, not wanting to let go of his shaft. This makes her yelp but she gives in to it, liking it and wanting more, "Oh Spirits please, Hah… f-faster," she asks Max. He smiles and hugs her tightly, wrapping his arms around her thorax and her around his neck, smelling his sweet aroma, and thrusts back into her quickly and pulls out then back in again. Each thrust making her moan louder and louder, his shaft reaching deep inside her, making her eyes roll back in ecstasy, " _Oh my goodness… s-soooo… naahh,"_ she moans mentally in her head, unable to form coherent words.

"I guess… we are compatible," Max says. Annali lifts her head up from his shoulders and kisses him with great passion, moaning loudly with each thrust Max gives her.

"Mmm, you feel so good… k-keep going… Mmph," she tells him to which he gladly complies and flips them over so he can get the advantage.

"Anything for you," he says and thrusts harder into her, making loud smacking sounds as his pelvis smacks into hers. Her walls squeeze on his shaft tightly then relax to let him move in smoothly then tighten up as he tries to move back, pleasuring both him and Annali. Max's thrusts become much more vigorous as his mind craves more stimulation. Eventually, Annali's canal had produced enough lubricant that Max's shaft can flow in and out smoothly regardless of her walls tightening down on his length, her liquids spilling out of her as he pulls out and thrusts back in.

"Oh my SPIRITS it's so GOOD, nngh, m-more," she pleads with him, only making Max feel more aroused with her breathy moans. He grips her hips and pulls her toward him with each thrust. He feels a burning sensation grow within his groin, meaning his climax is nearing. Annali also feels her climax building and nearing with each thrust he gives her. She never thought pleasure could be felt like this, nor did she think she would come across it but thank the Spirits she was blessed with Max to give it to her. Her pleasure builds dramatically causing her to grit her teeth as the intense feeling within her starts to mess with her head. Max's speed increases as he starts to reach his own climax, Annali arching her back as Max thrusts deep into her.

"G-Getting… close," Max stutters, unable to form coherent words. Annali can't help but hug him tighter as she reaches her peak.

"G-GAAH," she screams as her climax hits her full on. Her walls clamp down on his shaft giving Max that last bit stimulation he needed as he pulls out and slams back in and releases his essence into her. Annali feels his sudden thrust into her and that tips her over the edge, she bites down Max's shoulder, her sharp teeth digging into him but Max's flexed muscles keep her from biting down further. He keeps thrusting in as he spills more of himself into her, making Annali feel light headed and fall back on the pillow. Max makes one last thrust and this time he lets himself go all out on his climax. Neither of them move for a while, riding out their extended climax's. Finally they come down from their highs, Annali is breathing heavily as well as Max whose lost his ability to even get himself off her. Annali picks up Max's head from her shoulders and brings it to her face and kisses him with a rivaled passion, she breaks the kiss breathing heavily and looks into his dark brown eyes, "I… I love you," she confesses and kisses him again and rolls him over so she's on top of him. Breaking the kiss she lets herself fall on his shoulders, already exhausted from their love-making. Max wraps his arms around her agile frame and hugs her, her warmth radiating from her body intensely as they bask in the euphoric afterglow of their intimacy.

"I… love you too… Annie," Max confesses as well. Annali's head lifts up to meet his and she smiles lazily.

"I almost forgot, Happy late Birthday Max," she says and kisses him. She nuzzles him and wraps her arms around his neck, falling asleep almost instantaneously. Max chuckles and strokes the back of her head.

"Thanks… you're the first one to say that to me," Max says, thankful Annali came into his life or more so he came into her life at the right time.


	5. Chapter 5

**HAHA IT WORKS!**

 **If you haven't read the update chapter then you know what I mean when I say it works. My computer, for some reason, didn't want to open the file holding this chapter, which is why I couldn't submit this 5** **th** **chapter. But now the problem is fixed and I can get back to working on the next chapter.**

 **Anyway, you can read this next chapter and as always, have a nice day ;)**

Chapter 5

 **07:30 A.M.- Engineering Room- Trianis February 28** **th**

*Beep* *Beep* *Beep* *Beep*

Max's Omni-tool alarm goes off loudly, waking only Max up, "God damn alarm," he reaches over to his Omni-tool on the floor without waking the woman he'd so made love to. He grabs it and clips it on to his wrist and shuts it off. He breathes a sigh of relief but it turned out to be grunt and that makes Annali shift on top of him. Her eyes flutter open and she lifts her head off from his shoulder, rubbing her eyes.

"*yawn* mmm, what was that?" she asks lazily as she rests her head on his chest.

"Nothing. Did you sleep well?" he asks looking down at her.

"Definitely, I actually had a dream and you were in it," she squeaks sleepily, not wanting to shake off the morning wake-up.

"Really, what happened in your dream?" he asks as he strokes the side of her head.

"I was on Shanxi trying to find my mother, I was trying to find her before the inevitable might happen, y-you know… I ran through many corridors and alleys, I was in a city, I was frantically looking around the for her, I carefully listened for anything that might give away her position…" she stops for a little bit then continues, "I see a flare shoot up into the sky and for some reason I knew she was there so I followed it…" she stops again and skootches up closer to him as if she's going to need comfort later, "I make it to the spot the flare was fired and I see her on her knees with a Human behind her pointing a gun at her head. I try to silence my approach but I break a twig and that spooks him. He wraps his arm around her neck and points the gun to the side of her head, telling me to back off but I don't back off and I could see his finger start to pull the trigger. Before he can go all the way, his head explodes and I rush up to my mother and hug her," she says smiling happily recalling the memory.

"I can tell it felt good to hug your mother again, even if it was just a dream," Max says kissing her forehead.

"It did; she felt so warm when I hugged her, I didn't want to let her go. I pulled away to look at her face and she was fine, no blood nor lifeless eyes, she had the baby blue eyes she always had," she tells Max.

"Kind of like yours, I guess I can say her eyes were beautiful like yours," Max says. Annali looks up at him and giggles.

"Thank you, I was the only one of my family to have her eyes while my two other sisters had my fathers," she explains.

"So where do I come in your dream?" he asks, eager to hear his entrance.

"You? You… killed the Human holding the gun to her head. You saved my mother," she tells Max hugging him closer.

"Looks like I'm an actor in your dreams now; I make all your fantasies come to life with my appearance on stage. Did I have Turian armor on me or something, was I dashing?," he asks adding a certain awe to it.

"*giggle* now none of my dreams will be boring and senseless," she states standing her upper body up with her hands on his chest, "So, how frisky are you feeling now?" she asks with a seductive look.

"Seeing how I'm still in you-" he says and thrusts slightly up catching her off guard as she feels something familiar in her, "-I'm thinking we can skip the friskiness for now, huh?" he asks as he moves slowly up and pulls out slightly, keeping the rhythm up and making her quake in the process.

"One step ahead of me, ngh, I sh-should feel ashamed," she says as her relaxed muscles begin to expand to accommodate his size.

"Very much so," he says and he sits up, kissing her up her neck to her lips, "Should there be a punishment for failing to be in control of the situation?" he asks, his hands massaging her lower back and up, trying to make her comply.

"Oh yes… please… that would c-certainly teach me a lesson," she responds, submitting to him completely. He grins and pushes her down on his now hard member, hilting himself into her. She gasps but moves up to get more pleasure from him and then falls back down on him, "Oh… my gooodneessss," Annali moans arching her head back.

"Jesus," Max starts getting excited and quickens his rhythm of pace making both moan loudly. The bed shakes and creaks at their movements, neither paying attention. Annali starts getting excited as well and hugs his face, needing support.

"Don't stop… Hah, Oh," she asks, moving up and down on his hardness. Max gets the familiar burning feeling in his groin and decides to make things interesting.

"Mmm, no way your kind can be this tight," he groans into the air and suddenly he hugs Annali around the waist and stands up, still going into Annali's canal.

"M-Max?" she questions what he's doing. He kisses her up and down her neck, tickling her soft spots around the area. Annali's hands go up to his hair and caresses the soft pulp of fur, taking in the sensation along with Max's work down there, "So soft… so good," she moans. Max pins her to the wall and continues thrusting, not slowing down for anything. Annali can't help but scream his name and how good it feels with him inside her. Max's climax reaches its peak and he slams back into her with great force, Annali gasps as she feels a certain warmth fills up her womb, "I… I can feel it…" she exhales slowly, having noticed she reached her own climax as well. She looks down from staring into the ceiling to look at Max's faint red face, breathing heavily, "Y-you sure do know… how to make a… woman feel good," she compliments him, her eye lids struggling to stay open.

"You've made me feel good for the past six days… it was best I returned the favor," Max states with a smile. Annali returns the smile and guides her hand around his head and brings his forehead to hers.

"Please… don't leave me ever, promise?" she asks looking into his eyes. Max smiles and kisses her.

"I'm not leaving without you Annali," he says smiling. Annali giggles she brings her legs back down to the floor to walk to her clothes.

"Thank you. Come on, get changed and ready because I'm taking you somewhere special," she says picking up her clothes.

"Where to missy?" he asks as he puts on his boxers and shirt. Annali slowly slips on her underwear, flashing her rear to him intentionally, he smiles deviously at the sight of it, "Is it somewhere "private" here or is it off ship?" he asks as he slips on some clean gray cargo pants.

"We're headed planet side," she responds slipping on her pants and jacket, zipping it up, "Can you help me on my spurs please?" she asks. He nods and bends down to help fit her appendages through the small holes then clips on the shin guards as she does the other.

"What are we going to do on Chasca?" Max asks curiously as he finishes with her right spur.

"Your leaders think that there is a Cerberus camp site down below but their uncertain so they want us to investigate it," she explains finishing up with her left leg.

"Cerberus camp huh? Well if I'm going down then I'll need my armor from the Alliance to be transferred here," he points out.

"They know you're coming with because I've sent a request to the Captain that I take you with me. Your ship should have already transferred your armor here overnight. We'll head down to see if it's in shuttle bay," she explains, standing up over him. Max stands up and gets his socks from the closet and slips them on.

"Good, it would be bad if I came in with some shorts and a t-shirt with me along with a camera," he says and slips on his boots and ties them, "All set, let's go," he says unlocking the door and opening it. Max peeks out first to make sure the three stooges aren't there, and thankfully they aren't.

"Looks like they're still asleep, let's hurry quick before they get here," she says and the two run out of Engineering and into the elevator. Annali presses shuttle bay and the elevator descends down. Throughout the ride, Annali feels a certain warmth in her nether regions and recognizes it as Max's essence still inside her.

"You okay?" Max asks noticing her hand on her stomach.

"Huh, oh yeah I'm fine, just wondering what your armor would look like when I see it," she covers herself.

"I'll tell you, it looks nice; red markings with main body color black with a silver pearlescent. I picked out the colors myself, being a Combat Engineer has its ups," Max explains.

"I didn't think Engineers got to choose what kind of color their armor would be. I thought there was a mandatory color for everyone?" she asks, raising a brow plate.

"Crew members and soldiers don't, people who are of a special forces group can. I'm in a separate division of Engineers so I can change the color on mine if I wanted to," Max explains.

"Ah," she nods in understanding. The doors open to the shuttle bay and the smell of engineering an mechanics flows into the box with Max and Annali. They walk out the elevator with Max following Annali so he doesn't get lost. Shuttles litter the bay from left to right, some dropships, and some UT-47 Kodiaks; Alliance manufactured.

"This place is huge, but the Kilimanjaro's Bay is a lot bigger and with significantly less shuttles," Max says looking around.

"We like to stay stocked in case certain scenarios play out. I think that's your shuttle there," she points out. Max turns to the Blue Alliance Kodiak floating in place with a human waiting outside the doors, "There he is, come on Max quit idling," she pulls Max by the arm to keep him from touching one of the ships. She pulls him to the Man and he sees them approaching.

"Alliance shuttle here to drop off Armor requisition for Max Tereshkova," the Man says holding a pad.

"That's this guy here, Max talk to him," she tells him and pushes Max to get him facing to the Man in Alliance uniform.

"What, oh, Yeah that's me I'm Max. How you doin?" Max says extending a hand to the man. He takes Max's hand and shakes it.

"I'm doin fine sir. I have your armor in the shuttle, if you want to we can crack it open so you can see if it's yours," he says and opens the shuttle doors. The two step inside and they see a large gray metal container.

"Alright let's take a look see," Max says and watches the Man insert a code into the console and the box opens up. The big container opens up revealing Black and Red N7 armor pieces, "What? Why did they send me MY armor-"

"Wow looks nice Tereshkova, what does that say, N7?" Annali asks spotting the N7 logo on the chest piece.

"Um, uh, well it's-"

"The Captain shipped you N7 grade armor as a precaution for you Combat Engineer. Don't get too excited, this would have been a strange way to promote you unless you were an N6 or something," the pilot states typing into his pad and the container closes up and levitates, "The controls are now synced to you Tereshkova, it will open up only to your Omni-tool signature. Have a nice day and good luck," the Man says and pats Max's back. Max shakes his head in disbelief and hauls the container out the shuttle along with Annali, " _That was too much of a close call, my cover was nearly blown. Damn it Colt why?"_ he asks in his head, unaware he was making faces with Annali watching him awkwardly.

"You okay Max? You don't seem too thrilled you had your armor delivered," she asks placing a hand on his arm. He relaxes to her touch and takes a deep breath.

"No, no it's fine just… I didn't think they would send me N7 armor is all," Max says masking the truth.

"I honestly thought you were an N7 at first but when he said they sent it as a precaution then I understood. I don't know what I would have done if you were an N7," she explains as they enter the locker room.

"I hope it isn't bad," Max starts to worry of the possibilities.

"I wouldn't be happy if you kept it a secret from me. Between us, there shouldn't be anything to keep from each other, the more we hold those secrets the farther away our relationship becomes, understand me?" she asks stopping and placing a hand on his cheek. Max isn't the type to keep secrets from anyone even if it meant hurting them.

"I… understand you. But… what if the secret meant compromising a mission, risked the people you cared about and it had to be kept?" Max asks curiously.

"Then under certain circumstances I would understand. Is there something you wish to tell me?" Annali asks leaning towards him.

"N-no, I was just curious really. When do we leave for Chasca?" Max asks switching the subject.

"We're supposed to be ready by 08:30, it's 08:09 right now so now would be a good time to suit up. Meet at the bridge when you're ready, kay?" she says and kisses him but quickly breaks it when she notices they're out in the open. Thankfully, everyone is working and minding their own business.

"That was close. And I think you might owe me one later," Max teases and leans in for another but Annali pushes him back.

"Ah, Ah, Ah, you said later so it is later I'll owe you. Now get in there and suit up, we don't have much time left," she says knicking his chin with her talon and walks away. Max smiles and looks at her before she disappears behind the Women's Locker room.

Max turns to the Men's locker room and pulls the container holding his armor in. Once inside he deactivates the levitation system and props the container up beside the wall so it is even with his height. He flips open his Omni-tool and activates the container to which it opens up, revealing his armor propped up and empty without his body inside it. Pulling out the body glove he strips himself of his clothes and slips into the body glove. The first time he put it on, it felt so weird to have something tightly wrapped around your body but now he was used to it. As he zips up the zipper from behind he takes a tube from the container and connects it with a slot just behind his neck. The container hums as it pressurizes the suit to wrap around his body tightly, it's uncomfortable but when it's done with you can relax. As soon as it was done, Max detaches the tube and clips it back to the container and looks at his N7 armor hanging in front of him; the traditional N7 breather helmet hung there over his Ariake Technologies Chest plate along with Serrice Council shoulder plates and Rosenkov Materials arm gauntlets, his leg Armor was of Ariake Tech. as well and with the exception of custom Alliance made flexible Anti-blast armor to act as first defense for his legs, "Well let's do this," Max says as he reaches up for his Chest plate.

10 minutes later…

Clipping on his Anti-blast armor Max finishes up and checks the seals on his suit to make sure nothing is compromised, "Alright, systems check…" h flips up the Omni-tool and reads the suits functions to make sure none have any faults, "-Alright, systems green. Let's see if the HUD is working," Max states and picks up his helmet and clips it on. Multiple images show up in front of him and he sees the HUD is working fine, "That's checked. Alright I'm good now," he says and takes off his helmet and shakes his head to get rid of the static in his hair. He grabs his M-8 Avenger and collapses it and puts it on his back. Walking out he sees there are more people in Shuttle bay than when he first came down. Multiple shuttles look like they're prepped and ready for deployment, " _Man, time sure flies by,"_ Max thinks and feels a soft nudge to his left arm, looking down its Annali decked out in her own custom Teal and Tiffany blue colored Armor. From neck to toe her armor is nearly the same as any other Turian soldiers armor with the traditional soup bowl design of their chest plate except it's much less bulkier than the others but still gave off the impression of a well-built body under the armor.

"You look good, I guess you really do fit in it pretty well," she compliments him.

"I can say the same for you Officer Veren, you look great," Max says returning the compliment.

"Thanks. Say, what are these flaps hanging from your waist?" Annali asks as she inspects Max's long black flaps.

"Oh those are Flexible Anti-blast armor Flaps; one for each leg. Since I'm so tall they had made me these to protect my legs from explosions. You can see they hang down to just above my calves," Max explains taking the other flap and lifting it up, "Very dense and thick, can take a lot of shrapnel. I know because I was the one testing it," Max jokes. Annali laughs at his joke in turn making Max laugh as well, "Your laugh is so infectious, my goodness, Heh-heh," Max says wiping the tears from his eyes. Annali wipes her own tears as well, still chuckling.

"If I ever need a positive influence in my life, I'll come to you for therapy," she says and hooks her arm around his, "Now come on we're going to miss the briefing," she says and pulls Max with her to the elevator. Annali goes for the bridge section and the elevator shoots up almost catching Max off guard. He had learned from the past experience that when Annali is in control of the elevator, you never know if she'll have it fly up like a missile or slow enough for comfort.

"Almost got me there," he says.

"Just trying to keep you on your toes is all," she smiles deviously. Max shakes his head as they stop at the bridge. The doors open and the two walk out to be met with the a large group of people, humans and Turians, gathered around the Holo-display.

"Ah, hey there Max," A familiar voice sounds as Max exits the elevator. He turns to his right and he sees Captain Colt round the corner, "How's the Kilimanjaro's best engineer holding himself here, eh?" he asks as he shakes Max's hands.

"Well I guess you can say it's been a… very interesting experience for me," Max says looking over to Annali as she smiles.

"I trust you've recovered from your injuries from the past fight?" he asks. Max and Annali's eyes widen at his question.

"W-who told you I was fighting?" Max asks nervously.

"I did," Captain Caepraka speaks up as she walks out from the group, "I felt it was necessary he knew what happened so there wouldn't be any future issues throughout the mission. Diplomacy between Humanity and Turians is still fragile so the least we can do is be honest," she explains.

"And right now we can help strengthen that Diplomacy with some cooperation in each other's issues. We're about to brief you on the mission now so if you guys will join us…" Colt turns to the Holo-display with the team gathered around. Caepraka joins him on the other side while Max and Annali walk to the opposite side of them.

The meeting starts off with Colt speaking first, "We have intel suggesting a Cerberus camp at these navpoint's in the Northern Hemisphere of the planet. You'll be deployed in three different shuttles down in different areas of the camp so you can get the jump on them. We believe the camp may have information explaining as to why Cerberus is here and what their intent is. If the raid goes according to plan and we get what we need, then this mission will be over and done with quickly. Engineer Tereshkova and Tech specialist Corporal Chance will attempt to extract whatever possible and relevant data from their database. Again this is the assumption we are running on. Caepraka, anything you want to add?" he directs attention to the Turian Captain.

"This is a stealth operation; we don't want them knowing we're here so try and take them out quickly and easily. Shuttles are prepped and ready for departure so get to it. Dismissed," she orders and the group salutes before about facing and heading towards the elevator. Before Max can join Annali, Colt pulls him aside before he can enter the elevator.

"I want you to follow the Liaison Officer's orders to the letter. This is big so I don't want you to screw around, and make sure you get anything Cerberus might find or look valuable. Understood?" he asks letting go of Max's arm.

"Yes sir," Max nods and salutes before getting into the elevator with everyone else. The elevator creaks with the new weight, the doors close, and descends down to shuttle bay. Annali and Max are squished together due to the little space in the elevator with everyone else inside, "Why didn't we take the bigger one?" Max asks.

"I just wanted to see if you would follow me," she replies. Max frowns with a smile and looks down at Annali who's smiling innocently.

"Devious I say," Max says, shaking his head.

The doors open again revealing the shuttles hovering just over the landing pad, waiting for the first team. A Turian pilot exits the open doors and waves the group over. The Human team exits the other elevator and walk over to the same shuttle.

"Orion team?" the Turian pilot asks the Turian team. The leader nods and the pilot waves them over and enters the shuttle along with the rest. Max follows Annali to the shuttle and climbs aboard. The doors close and the lights flicker on, providing light.

The Human team enters their own shuttle and the shuttles move off the pad, hovering over the opening below to the planet.

" **Orion Shuttle ready for departure. Permission to deploy"**

" **Orion Shuttle, Permission granted. Good luck out there"**

" **Roger that. Deploying"**

The shuttle descends down the shaft and under the ship, floating forward to let the next shuttle descend down in its place. The shuttle flies under the Trianis belly and over it giving the squad of 10 a great view of the small Flotilla in formation with the Kilimanjaro over Chasca, "My, my, isn't it beautiful?" Max says resting an arm over the door. Annali walks up next to him, crossing her arms and nodding in agreement.

"It is isn't it? I like how the atmosphere glows in the background, as if the planet had a shield surrounding it," she compares imaginatively.

"Surprising it isn't radiation," Max adds. Annali chuckles slightly.

The shuttles descend quickly down to the planet, the shuttle starting to shaking as the atmosphere attempts to burn the intruder, fire engulfing it. The shaking intensifies as they descend faster and faster, the metal threatening to break away.

"Hull integrity staying strong. Atmospheric entry in 3…2…1…"

The fire dies down quickly and the team is met with thunder and rain as they fly through the dark gray clouds. Lightning crackles within the clouds startling the Turian team, "Guess we're in for a rainy day aren't we Officer Veren?" Max asks with some excitement to it. The team chuckles and hum in agreement.

"Just don't play in the mud, okay? Nor jump in puddles Orion team. We have orders to act with stealth. We will communicate with Phoenix team to plan an Ambush on the campsite," she explains and bangs on the cockpit doors, "Are we there yet pilot?" she asks.

"Yes mam, descending to navpoint now," the pilot responds and the windows clear up as the shuttle descends under the clouds and the hilly terrain can be seen with a few mountains can be seen in the very far distance. The ground evens out as the shuttle levitates slowly just above it, "On the green light…" the pilot announces. Red lights flash and the team unclips their weapons from their backs and insert a thermal clip into it making a clicking sound as the weapon accepts it.

"You ready rookie?" Annali asks putting on her T-visor helmet. Max looks at her and smiles as he puts on his helmet and unclips his rifle from his back.

"Who you calling rookie?" he asks. The lights flash green and the doors open up; leaves and water fly in getting the inside dirty. Annali and Max quickly exit first and aim their weapons forward, scanning the area as the rest of the team pile's out.

"Pilot, Orion team is on ground. You may depart," Annali contacts the pilot.

"Alright, good luck out there Orion Team. Departing," the pilot says and the shuttle lifts off. The other shuttle carrying Phoenix team joins it as well and the two disappear into the clouds, "Phoenix team are you there?" she calls into the comm.

"Affirmative Orion team, we're on foot. Meet us at these navpoint's, we'll rendezvous with you there. Young out," the commander responds. A glowing light goes off on Annali's wrist giving off a small beep. The navpoint coordinates are marked in her HUD and so she waves the team to follow her.

"Orion Team, on me," she orders and the team gets in two defensive lines, Max just behind her as they climb down the hill.

After a few minutes of trekking, the team closes in on the navpoints. They walk through a small gorge, the rain still coming down on them. Each step they take creating a splash that may give away their position, "Keep your eyes open Orion, we don't know what to expect here so don't be afraid to call anything out," she advises.

"Maybe you guys should've taken the high ground," a human voice pipes up from above. Everyone points their guns at the human standing at the top of the gorge, "Hey, hey, don't shoot I'm just lookout for you guys. Commander Young is just down there so keep going," the Alliance soldier quickly says pointing in the direction of the marked Navpoints.

"Next time don't startle us like that, you might end up to be the first casualty in this mission," Annali advises, a bit annoyed at the humans sudden presence.

"Well I haven't died so far doing this so I'll just consider myself lucky," the human says. Max waves at him as they pass by.

"Keep doing what you're doing brother," Max says and the Marine gives him a thumbs up. Max quickly catches up with Annali and the Team as they find the rest of Phoenix Team. One of the soldiers walks up to Annali.

"You the commanding officer?" the soldier asks.

"Officer Veren. Where is Commander Young?" she asks.

"Just over there mam," he points the way and she nods in thanks to him.

"Okay team get yourself situated for now. I'll call you for the meeting when it's time," she orders and the team salutes, breaking off, "Engineer Tereshkova, follow me," she orders with a straight voice. The two follow the soldier to a makeshift tent and see the Commander with a little Holo-display in front of him showing a few structures. The Commander sees them approaching and smiles waving them over.

"Hello Officer Veren, I trust your hike was a pleasant one," he says as he switches the Holo-displays view.

"If you count falling and slipping multiple times down a steep hill, yes it was very pleasant Commander," she tells him.

"Please, call me Young. Commander is just an understatement, I'm actually a Lieutenant. My team just likes to call me Commander because I'm really hard on them like one would. How are you doing Tereshkova?" he asks going to Max.

"I'm doing great sir. Nothing like walking through a thunder storm waiting to get struck by lightning out of nowhere," Max jokes earning a few laughs from the two.

"Good to hear Corporal. And- is that N7 armor?" he asks looking at the logo on Max's chest plate.

"Oh yeah, the captain got me N7 grade armor as a "precaution" to my safety. I think the Captain has a thing for me," Max jokes again, receiving an elbow to his side from Annali.

"Well you are with the IEP so I guess it is understandable he wants you to come back in one piece. He won't let anyone who is a part of his crew get killed so he gives the most important the best in equipment. Anyways let's get back to the mission," Young says switching the subject to the Holo-display, "I sent a few scouts out to search the navpoint so it may take a while for confirmation on the potential Cerberus camp," Young explains.

"And when did you send them?" Annali asks.

"Not too long ago, I just sent them," Young clarifies.

"Well then I guess we have a lot of time on our hands don't we?" Annali suggests.

"Yes we do. If you want, you can hang around here and associate yourselves with the squad while we wait. I will let you know when I've received an update on the camp, you can go now," he says, saluting the two. Annali and Max return the salute, about face and leave the tarp.

"Gosh why did it have to rain now? Why not tomorrow, didn't it say it's summer right now?" Max asks as he puts on his helmet.

"Perhaps you were reading the Earth weather not Chasca. Do you Humans not like the water, does it make you hair all wet?" she asks looking up at him.

"Well no, I don't like it. It makes my hair feel gross and smell bad. I do know you Turians don't like the water either am I right?" Max diverts the question back to her.

"Well we don't like large bodies of water because… we're kind of Aqua phobic is all," Annali explains.

"No-no I know why you guys hate water; you can't swim can you?" he says looking down at Annali. She simply shrugs.

"We're not biologically made to float in water. We need either our armor or inflatable buoys to help us," she says.

As they walk through the campsite, they find a small cave-like structure and sit down inside it.

"Well good thing the base isn't underwater…. Or the gorge fills up with water," Max adds.

"Oh Spirits no, don't even put that in my mind. I'd rather die in space than drowning in water," Annali says crossing her arms.

"Heh, it's pretty much the same thing basically," Max points out.

"Doesn't matter, it's a preference to me," Annali says, shrugging.

Minutes pass by as the rain continues to fall hard, not letting up or even showing signs of the storm passing over. The ground was now a small pool up to 3 inches already, that's how much water is coming down.

"Jesus, will it stop raining, can't it take a break?" Max asks frustrated.

"I couldn't agree more. I wonder what's taking so long for your scouts," Annali wonders.

"Scouting terrain is a lot more difficult than it sounds Annali. You have to make sure you 've found the sagest path for the team before telling them to come on over for dinner," Max explains.

"I know that but don't you think they would have already sco-"

" **Officer Veren, the scouts have returned! Please make your way to back to HQ!"** Young announces through the comms.

"The timing of that is impeccable. Come on Max they're waiting," Annali says and gets up, stretching her limbs from sitting on hard rock for so long.

"Well let's not keep them waiting then," Max says getting up as well.

As they walk through the narrow passageways, the ground seemed to be pretty non-existent. Their feet were deep underwater and the storm had not let up. Each step forward was a struggle as the water became a strong river coming towards Annali and Max.

"Spirits I didn't think much fell already in just a few minutes. My toes are already starting to hurt, I can't even see the rocks underwater," Annali says, lifting her foot out of the water and taking a large step forward.

"You look like you need help," Max pipes up. Annali takes another large step, grunting at the force of the river coming.

"No I'm fine, I can do it," Annali politely objects.

"Come on Girlfriend, don't deny me like that. Up we go," Max says and picks up Annali by the waist and throws her up in the air landing on his shoulders.

"Whoa, what are you do-oo-oo-ingg," Annali asks almost losing her balance on top Max's shoulders.

"Just a small ride so you don't waste energy. It shouldn't take long now that you're out of the way- Oof," Max grunts as Annali smacks his helmet.

"Silence you, now onward," she says pointing the way.

"Aye, Aye Captain," Max salutes and walks out the gorge.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

"Sergeant, where is Officer Veren and Engineer Tereshkova? They should have already been here a few minutes ago," Young asks as he flips up his Omni-tool.

"I don't know sir, the rain is pretty heavy now and it's pretty hard to see through all this," the Sergeant responds.

"Great, now I have to go look for them before this gorge turns into a giant pool and they drown in it," Young says and starts to put on his helmet.

"That would be cool… without the part of us drowning," Max says through the heavy rain. The team's look outside the shelter and see Max carrying Annali on his shoulders, trudging through the small puddles on the ground.

"Are we late Commander?" Annali asks as she gets off from Max's shoulders.

"Not at all, just keeping everyone here till the gorge fills up with us in it is all. Let's get this briefing started shall we?" Young says waving them over to the miniature Holo-display.

Max and Annali join the rest of the team around a small camp fire circle, the Tech Specialist typing away on his Omni-tool as Young prepares to talk, "Alright men, we've just received actual pictures of the now confirmed Cerberus campsite. Our scouts have taken multiple pictures of the site and have gone back to check on the camp," Young states as he flips through many different images of Cerberus soldiers decked out in their traditional white and yellow armor. Tents and a large dome-like structure's make up the inner circle of the camp, "As you can see the camp is fairly larger than what we originally expected. Regardless, we will take it and we will have control over it. The recon team has carefully formulated a plan to take it without alerting any other possible Cerberus units nearby," Young explains further. The view of the camp shows every angle of the site, from entry points to snake holes leading in.

"So mind telling us what the plan is Commander?" Annali asks, crossing her arms.

"That's what Tech Specialist Chance will be doing. Right Chance?!" Young faces all attention on the lone rookie, still in his Omni-tool, "Chance, wake up boy," Young says smacking the Corporal's arm.

"Huh? Oh sorry Captain, uh, Er, I mean Commander m-my apologies," Chance says with a Finnish accent to it, "W-what were we talking about?" he asks flipping off his Omni-tool quickly.

"You were about to explain to us the plan for the Cerberus camp," Young reminds him.

"Ah right, yes of course, I um, hold on, let me just eh," the rookie fumbles with his Omni-tool attempting to turn it on, "Sorry sir, these new designs have different activation sequences," the rookie tries to cover himself but awkwardly swipes his hand over his wrist only making a fool of himself. Some of the team chuckle at this.

"While the water is still low Chance," Young states pointing out the height of the water is at their knees.

"Oh yes of course, let me just… THERE, got it" the small Holo-display changes to an edited version, "Okay, so the plan is to station two snipers on these two ridges here and here," Chance points out the tall points towering over the area and are far enough away from the camp to never be noticed, "Due to the rain, it will be difficult to see the camp from such a large distance; meaning it will be hard to mark out targets and even make a kill from 2 Kilometers away," Chance explains.

"Never a problem for me, eh. I can shoot a Pyjak while making out with my girl on Tuchanka with my eyes closed during a dust storm," A gruff voice pipes up from behind the team.

"Have you ever done that before Grissom?" Young asks, crossing his arms.

"No, but it would be one hell of a shot wouldn't it eh?" the gruff sniper says with a heavy chuckle along with a few other humans.

"What is up with you Humans and shooting with your eyes closed? It makes no sense," Annali whispers to Max.

"We like to dream too you know. But that would be an impressive feat wouldn't it?" Max asks nudging her arm.

"Yeah but what did the Pyjak do?" she asks.

"Alright whatever, continue Chance," Young says bringing back the attention to Chance.

"Anyway, the snipers will pick off the lookout while Orion and Phoenix Team enter from these two points…" The map highlights two entrances from opposite side of the area, "The scouts found two possible Command Centers but it's impossible to tell between which one is the real one. Orion Team will make their way to CCA here and Phoenix will make their way to CCB-"

"Um, Question!" Grissom pipes up.

"Yes, Grissom?" Young asks.

"What do CCA and CCB stand for?" he asks.

"Command Center Alpha and Command Center Bravo," Chance clarifies.

"OOhh, you see I thought there were different types of BBQ you see," Grissom jokes.

Some of the men laugh and chuckle while the Turian team stands there tilting their heads in confusion. Annali leans to Max's side, "What is a BBQ?" she asks.

"The best appetizer created by Man. I'll tell you later," Max says.

"Quiet Grissom! Chance, continue so we can get out of here. The water's already above our knees," Young points out the rising flood.

"Y-yes sir. Once we make it to the Command Center we download any data regardless while the Team's guard me and Tereshkova. Once the data is downloaded we get out quick and call for Evac. Any questions?" Chance asks, looking around the area.

"Alright good, let's move out and get into position. Chance will send Navpoints for positions then well give the go ahead to ambush! Understood?" Young asks and the both Teams salute, "Then let's get moving!" Young orders and the group moves out hastily into the rain.

Thunder booms across the valley as the rain falls hard on the small Platoon. One by one they each pull each other out of the ravine and onto land.

"Navpoints marked and sent to you Orion annnnndd… there, we have them too," Chance says. Navpoints appear on the HUD's of both teams.

"Received!" Annali says.

"Received! Alright, let's move out and get into position!" Young says just after her. Young takes his M-8 Avenger off his back and twirls his hand in a circular motion to gather the men around and follow.

Annali turns to her team and flips up her Omni-tool. She establishes a link with the squad so that everyone can communicate with each other, "Everyone hear me fine?" she asks. Everyone nods and unclip their weapons from their backs, "Then let's get moving! Tereshkova, on me!" she orders and she leads the team from the front with Max just beside her on her right.

After a few minutes of walking and hiking over the hills, the team arrives to the Navpoints. A few lights appear in the distance and the team immediately drops to the floor as to not get spotted. Slowly, Annali and Max crawl to the top and peek at the camp; tents make up the surrounding area with two big tents set opposite of each other, lookout posts line both entrances along with AA batteries just behind the walls, Cerberus troops in their white and yellow armor are scattered everywhere around the site but still look easy enough to deal with. To the right is a tall dish which is assumed as a communications tower, "That will have to be Priority one. Young, I spot a Communications tower just a few meters of our CC!" Annali states over the comm.

" **Copy that! Grissom, you got eyes on it?"** Young asks.

" **Aye sir, I see it! Want me to put it to sleep, eh?"** Grissom asks with an eager tone to his voice.

" **Yes but not-"**

*PEW*

The dish sparks with electrical sparks from everywhere, including the joints causing the dish to fall and smash the tent below.

" **Grissom what the hell?! I didn't tell you to shoot yet!"** Young shouts over the comm.

" **Sorry Commander, you said yes and so-"**

" **Just… take out the lookouts now! You'll see the signal to engage Orion Team. Young out!"** Young cuts out from the comm.

"Copy that! Orion Team, get ready!" Annali states. Everyone gets on their knees and get ready to rush the entrance.

"This should be fun!" Max says.

A moment passes as the lookouts drop from their posts and a flare shoots up into the air, shining through the dense rain, "That's our cue. Let's go!" Annali orders and the Team jumps over the hill and rush the gate.

The Cerberus personnel look at them in horror and attempt to grab their weapons but soon drop to the ground as their bodies are riddled with bullets from Orion. The Team spread out and fire suppressive fire, covering Annali and Max to find cover. Annali dives behind a crate as does Max with their weapons drawn.

"Where is it again?" Max asks.

"Just to our left here! We need to fight our way through these guys in order to get to Command Center!" Annali explains.

"Copy that!" Max says and he peeks over to fire off a few shots from his Avenger. Three troops fall as another take their place and take aim, "Guess there was more than I thought," Max says to himself.

"Orion, push to the Command Center!" Annali orders. The team nods and unleashes a barrage of Turian firepower with the exception of Max being the supporter. The Cerberus get caught off guard by the sudden show of force and retreat back to through the tents, "They're retreating, after them Orion! Don't let them think of coming back!" Annali orders. The Team runs through the town of tents and disappear in between the trails. Annali and Max stop just before splitting off and look at each other, "Stay safe love," Annali says to Max.

"Likewise," Max says with a smile and the two rush into different directions.

Annali shoots through a tent and searches the place, not wanting to leave any bit of detail that could help them behind. She hears shuffling just a few meters away and she quietly tiptoes in that direction. The shuffling sounds closer and closer as Annali nears the source when suddenly one of the tents to her left bursts open as a Turian soldier wrestles with a Cerberus troop. She points her gun at the troop but then the Turian soldier gets in the way.

"Lieutenant *grunt* shoot him- GAH!" the soldier pleads with her while trying to shake off the Cerberus soldier.

Annali tries line up her shot but with the quick shifting and turning it's hard to even make a shot. Finally Annali decides to intervene and she kicks the Cerberus soldier off her comrade and points the barrel at the man's face and pulls the trigger, placing a bullet hole into his skull. She extends a hand to the Turian and he happily takes it.

"Thanks Lieutenant, I thought that would have been the end of me," the Turian soldier tells her.

"Next time, keep a sharp eye out because there isn't always going to be someone who'll come and save you. Got me soldier?" she asks sternly.

"Yes mam," the soldier salutes, picks up his rifle and is off.

Annali turns to spot a Cerberus soldier just turn the corner and she opens fires on him. The Cerberus soldier jerks as bullets riddle his body and falls lifeless on the muddy ground, "*sigh* that was close," Annali says and she continues down the trail.

*Bang* *Bang*

Now there was a distinct sound she hadn't heard of before. It was not Turian weapon firing but a Human one. Annali cuts through the tents and hears grunting noises which means there's a fight somewhere but she couldn't tell where. There were so many sounds everywhere; gunfire and the smashing of rain connecting with the ground. As Annali searches for the source she doesn't hear a Cerberus soldier sneaking up behind her. The soldier pulls out a knife and raises it above his head and before he can drop it down on her, his head explodes.

*Poom*

Annali turns around to see the headless soldier fall to the ground just behind her, the knife falling from his hand, "What the?"

" **Saved you missy!"** Grissom's voice sounds off over the Comm.

"Thanks Grissom, didn't think you were still here," Annali says with a sigh of relief.

" **Don't think you're not under watchful eyes Lieutenant, I have your back. Also I see some movement to your right just behind you!"** Grissom states.

"Thanks Grissom, Veren out!" Annali says and she starts toward the described location.

The sounds of grunting and shouts of pain can be heard more clearly. Annali bursts through the tent to find one of the Alliance soldiers fighting with a Cerberus officer. She fires on the officer and kills him while surprising the Alliance soldier.

"Thanks Lieutenant, it didn't look like the fight was going anywhere," he says.

"You're welcome soldier now get back in the fight, you're supposed to be covering for your team," she states.

"I know, I just thought if I flanked around the enemy then maybe I could surprise and divert attention to me, giving the team some time to pick them off," the soldier explains while grabbing his rifle and popping a fresh clip into it.

"That takes guts soldier, sacrificing yourself to help take the heat off your comrades. You would be a fine soldier in the Hierarchy," Annali compliments, although she had already thought of Max being a fine soldier in the Hierarchy.

"Thank you mam but I prefer to stick with the people I know best. I better get to it then, they won't last long in a fight of attrition," the soldier states and he salutes before running off through the tents again.

*Bang* Bang*

"GRAHH!"

Max's voice can be heard just a few meters away and this catches the attention of Annali, "Max," she says and sprints in the direction of the sound.

*Bang* Bang* *Bang*

"ARRGH!"

Another voice joins in and this time it's a not so friendly voice followed by a few gunshots and bodies flopping down onto the puddles in the ground. Annali fires off a few shots in front of her and tears through the wall of a tent and she frantically looks around for Max's distinguishable red and silver black armor.

"AAAaaa," a Cerberus soldier flies past the entrance of the tent. Annali peeks out of the tent to see Max fighting multiple opponents.

A Cerberus soldier jumps and clings onto Max's back, wrapping his arms around his neck as well. Another Cerberus soldier rushes out and points his gun at Max but Max faces his back toward the gunner as he fires on the soldier behind him, killing him. Max uses the body as a Human shield and he fires a volley of bullets at the Cerberus troop, killing him as well. Max drops the Shield and breathes heavily as he comes down from his adrenaline rush. He spots Annali and he waves at her. Annali breathes a sigh of relief but notices out of the corner of her eye the supposed dead Cerberus soldier Max just shot. Her eyes widen as she sees a Carnifex pistol rise up and pointed at Max.

"MAX LOOK OUT!" Annali screams at Max and she raises her gun to shoot the Cerberus soldier but her reaction time is too slow.

*BANG*

Max's chest jerks to the right and he falls to the ground. Annali's eyes widen even more and soon become filled with rage and rushes up to the Cerberus soldier and sticks the barrel of her Phaeston onto his helmet and fires everything the clip could offer, "AAAAAHHHHH," she screams as she fires her hate into the soldier, the puddles turning a red hue as the blood shoots out of the soldiers head. The gun the automatically ejects the thermal clip giving a hissing sound in the receiver. Annali's chest heaves up and down as her Temper simmers down.

*groan*

Annali turns around to see Max lift a hand up and then attempt to get up, "Max!" Annali cries out to him and she rushes down to him and kneels beside him. She takes looks at the wound but notices his chest piece dented and bent. Max sits up and shakes his head as if nauseated.

"Ooh god, that felt painful *groan*" Max says groggily as he takes his helmet off. Annali takes off her helmet and smacks Max's head, "GAAOOWW, what was- Mmf," Annali silences him with her lips to his. Her kiss is hard and passionate and she leans closer to him as she snakes her tongue in to play with his. Max's hands travel down her armored torso down to her thin waist and down to her buttocks. She suddenly breaks the kiss and the two breathe heavily to catch their breath.

"Don't you dare do that again Maximillian *pant* or else I'll finish you off for good," she states tiredly.

"In what way *pant* I hope to find out *pant*" Max says. Annali smiles and kisses him again. She then separates and picks up her helmet and gun.

"Get up Tereshkova, we're not doing it here *chuckle* perhaps back on the ship after this," Annali says and she puts on her helmet, "Now let's get to that Center, we've wasted enough time here," Annali says.

Max smiles and he puts on his helmet as well and he picks up his Avenger off the ground, "After you m'lady," Max says. Annali smiles and the two sprint toward the Command Center.

After running through the town of tents they find the team pushing the Cerberus forces away from the Center. The two join up with the Team and lay down fire on the enemy. The Cerberus soldiers start to back away and this signals a push for Orion, "Orion forward!" Annali orders. The Team jumps over the crates and send the Cerberus team running in the opposite direction. The Team establishes a perimeter while Max finds the Mainframe, "Hurry Max, we don't have much time before they regroup," Annali states. Max flips open his Omni-tool and scans the computers for the main computer.

"Found it! Starting the hack!" Max states. He creates a bypass and gets through the firewall, accessing the computers data, "Ha, there we go. Oho, what is this I see before me?" Max says to himself as his Omni-tool scans through the files.

"Come on Tereshkova quit eyeing the data and copy it," Annali tells him.

"Yes mam. Starting the download!" Max states. Multiple images of documents flash through the screen as the data spills into Max's Omni-tool.

As the download continues, some of the Team members spot movement in the distance, "Mam I see movement over there!"

"I see movement to my right!"

"Movement to the east!"

"Max can you speed it up?" Annali asks.

"Almost there, 95% download complete! Give me some more time!" Max states.

"We may not have a lot of time left Tere-"

*ZZZIP*

"CUBIERRE IS HIT!" one of the soldiers yells out before the air sounds off with gunfire.

"Damn, hurry Tereshkova!" Annali shouts at him.

"Almost…there… aannndd…got it! Let's get the hell out of here!" Max says flipping off his Omni-tool and smashing the console with his feet.

"Orion Team, push forward! Command this is Orion Team requesting for immediate evac!" Annali states through the comm.

" **Copy that Orion Team! Sending Shuttles down for evac! Marking Navpoint! ETA 5 minutes!"** The radio man says.

Annali receives the Navpoints, "Alright Orion Team, let's move out! Phoenix Team, do you have your data?" Annali asks.

" **We got nothing; turns out it was a cafeteria we walked into. Of all the places to be in. You got the data?"** Young asks.

"Affirmative, we got… whatever it was that was in there. We're headed out to the evac point!" Annali states.

" **Got you, we're making our way there too! We got a load of Cerberus forces just behind us so we're just booking it! May need to watch our backs once we get to the shuttles,"** Young says.

"Understood, we'll see you there," Annali says and cuts out of the comm.

The Team sprints through the town of tents, smashing through the delicate walls and tripping over chairs and small tables. A missile flies overhead and blows up one of the lookout posts, startling everyone, "Grrh, keep moving! We're almost out of here!" Annali shouts. The Team fires a few shots back to stall the Cerberus advance but it doesn't seem to work.

"Spirits, these humans don't let up!" one of the Turian soldiers says.

"We're persistent, I'll tell you that. Take something from- WHOA- us and we'll take it back by force! Kind of like you guys," Max says as they run through the camp to the exit.

"Quiet Max and keep running. We're almost there!" Annali says.

Bursting through the gate, the team runs up over the hill while Max sets down small black objects, "What are doing Tereshkova?" Annali asks curiously.

"Leaving party gifts!" Max shouts over his shoulders as he quickly places them down. Placing the last one down he quickly turns and manages to dive behind a boulder, shielding him from the rain of bullets, "Holy crap!" Max says, edging away from the corner as bullets bring up bits of dirt.

Annali notices Max is in trouble, "Max! Orion Team, suppressive fire!" Annali orders. The team turns around and returns fire at the incoming Cerberus forces.

The Cerberus squad stops and takes cover behind some rocks and attempt to return fire. The Turian soldiers unload everything they have to keep them at bay, "Max now's your chance!" Annali shouts.

Max nods and unclips his Avenger from his back and runs under the rain of fire. He turns around while running backward and fires off a few shots and then rejoining the team behind cover, "Where's the transport?" Max asks.

"They should be landing right about-"

" **Orion Team, Phoenix Team, transport has arrived!"** the pilot states as the shuttle breaks through the clouds, **"The LZ looks hot, can you clear it up?"** the pilot asks.

"No problem pilot. Just land and we'll take care of the rest! We need to lay covering fire for the transport to land!" Annali states, giving the team the all clear to unload everything.

One of the soldiers takes out a grenade and prepares to throw it but Max catches his wrist just before he can throw it, "I'd wait for now, I already have it planned out," Max says, flipping up his Omni-tool.

The shuttle lands near the Team a few meters away and the doors open, "Alright everyone, fall back to the shuttle!" Annali orders. The group nods and quickly run to the shuttle, firing blindly back to keep the enemy at bay. Max sprints with his Omni-tool flipped up, looking back at the advancing forces. The Team jumps on and stick to the sides of the shuttle, not wanting to get shot. Annali jumps on and turns around to see Max coming in as well, "Nice to see you onboard as well Tereshkova," Annali says warmly.

"Likewise mam. Let's get out of here shuttle pilot!" Max says banging on the door.

"Copy that! Departing!" The shuttle doors close and the shuttle lifts up into the air. Cerberus troops fire at the shuttle but don't make a dent in it.

Max takes off his helmet and makes a mischievous smile. Annali sees this and frowns, "What are you smiling for?" she asks.

"N-nothing..." Max says simply.

"What did you do?" Annali asks crossing her arms.

"Remember those 'gifts' I left back there?" he asks.

"Yeah?"

Max turns to the window and raises his Omni-tool and presses his wrist.

*BOOM*

The camp below lights up greatly with fire as the entirety of the base camp is engulfed in fire. The troops below are consumed in the fire and are incinerated. The Turian team pushes against the door to see the scenery and stare in awe as the camp becomes a ruin.

"How did you-"

"Placed a few charges around the base and maybe found a power generator and strapped a ton of charges on that too," Max says with a smile.

"You sure are pretty proud of yourself for that," Annali states.

"Heh, not every day you get to blow a base with a few explosives," Max says.

"Right… how did you get that many charges anyway?" Annali asks.

"I grabbed a few from Phoenix team while we were hiking together to the camp," Max clarifies.

"Oh that makes sense. I just wonder if they needed them," Annali says.

" **Did Max take some Thermal charges with him?"** Young's voice sounds through the comm.

"Um… yes?" Annali says.

" **We REALLY needed those! We nearly died trying to get to the transport without anything to scare those bastards,"** Young shouts.

"How much did you take Max?" Annali asks.

"Only a few," Max says deviating his eyes away from her. Annali crosses her arms and raises her brow plate unconvinced, "Well maybe I took… three bags worth of explosives," Max says shrugging slowly.

"Spirits now I know why they put you with our Team," Annali says.

"Correction: you invite- MMF," Max gets cut off with Annali's hand over his mouth. Annali places a finger over her mouth, telling him to shush, "Oh right, almost forgot. Heh," Max says. Annali shakes her head with a smile and sits down next to Max.

The shuttle breaks the atmosphere and makes its way up towards the fleet. The shuttles dock in the Trianis, first one being Orion Teams shuttle. The shuttle floats over to one of the stations and lands. The doors open and the team spill out from it and head toward the lockers while Max and Annali are the last to get off.

"Well that was a trip wasn't it?" Max says looking down at the dent on his chest plate.

"Yeah, you almost died because you were distracted. You need to focus on the task at hand," Annali says sternly.

"Anyway I can improve upon that?" Max asks looking down at Annali as they walk into the elevator. The doors close and Max puts in the bridge level into the console and then turning back to Annali.

"I can think of one thing," Annali says getting close to Max's face.

"And what's that?" he asks. But before she can respond, the doors open to the bridge and the two quickly split off.

"Hey there you are. Young tells me you have the data," Colt says.

"Uh yes sir, I do have it. Transferring to your Omni-tool," Max says, typing away at his Omni-tool. The Captains hand glows then fades away.

"Thanks Tereshkova and you as well Officer Veren. I see our Alliance has proven successful; no casualties from either team. Well done," Colt congratulates them.

Both Max and Annali salute, "Thank you sir," they say in unison.

Caepraka walks up to the group and nods, "I have to congratulate you as well. Blowing up the entirety of the camp was a pretty big thing to pull off," Caepraka states.

"It was nothing really," Max blurts out but shuts up quickly. All eyes on him.

"You blew it up by yourself?" Colt asks.

"Well not really, I kind of snuck around and found a power generator and ka-blooie, there goes the base," Max explains.

"With nearly the cost of the Human squad, Phoenix Team. Barely had enough explosives to deter the Cerberus forces away from them," Annali adds in.

"In the end, no one was lost so I call that a victory. We'll get the data scanned and verified so in the meantime take a break, you've earned it," Caepraka says and salutes along with Colt.

Max and Annali salute, "Thank you mam," they says in unison.

"Dismissed," Colt says and the two soldiers about face to the elevators.

They enter the elevator and Annali puts in Crew's Quarters into the console, "Um, aren't we going down to the lockers to take off our armor?" Max asks in confusion.

The doors open up and Annali pulls Max by the arm to follow her. Max doesn't resist and instead lets her lead the way to wherever she wants to take him. Annali brings him down a series of hallways, some being open and some closed. Most of the doors have name tags giving the owners name and rank which seems to be for all Officers. If she's leading him down to where all the officers sleep then she must be…taking her to her cabin. Soon, they stop at a door, reading the name "Liason Officer; Annali Veren."

"Wait, you brought me here to-"

"Shh, come on," Annali shushes him and pulls him inside as the doors open and then close quickly.

As soon as Max enters the room he is met with a familiar smell, a very strong feminine smell. He sniffs around trying to figure out where he smelled it before and then realizes it's a perfume he smelled before when he was back on the Citadel. The scent came by him as he explored the Presidium, looking at what the shopkeepers had to offer. Apparently, Turians like perfume as well as Humans do, and especially the female Turians.

"I see you really like perfumes Annali. You make this place smell nice and *sniff* familiar," Max says, still taking in the intoxicating smell.

"Well we Turians do like to make our friends fell comfortable…" Annali says softly and she wraps her arms around Max's torso, "-especially our boyfriends," Annali whispers to his ear, licking his cheek. Max smiles and gets the message.

"What was your idea on the elevator you didn't tell me?" Max asks as he plants his lips on hers.

"Mmm *chuckle* I'll show you," Annali says as she starts to take off Max's armor.

After a few minutes taking turns unstrapping each other's armor, Annali and Max were down to their skin suits. Annali, very smoothly, unzips her suit and easily brings it down to her knees, just above her spurs whom so stubbornly hold onto the suit.

"*chuckle* can you help me take it off?" Annali asks giving Max a small peck on the lips.

Max smiles and bends down while also kissing down her neck down to her chest then tracing his lips down her left leg. Without looking he unfastens the restraints around her spurs and pulls down the rest of the suit, pulling out her feet. There, bare naked in front of him was the love of his life. He had just realized how curved her hips were, despite the natural armor on her it gave her a more defined and sexy figure.

"Max… you're staring!" Annali brings him back to reality, "*chuckle* let's get this thing off you too," Annali says and with her left hand, she caresses his cheek while her other hand unzips the back of his suit. The suit splits down into two and reveals Max's well defined chest, sending Goosebumps along the back of Annali's neck, "Ooh," she coos as her hand traces his Pectorals. She leans in to kiss him but then jerks head back once a foul smelling odor hits her nose, "Oh my goodness what is that?" she asks slightly backing away.

"Guess my suit cooling systems weren't working at the time… or I didn't turn them on," Max clarifies, rubbing his chin.

"Well we're going to have to fix that now aren't we?" Annali asks seductively and she grabs him by the hand and leads him into another room. A glass sliding door can be found at the far side of the bathroom and that seems to be Annali's target. She slides the door open and leads him inside then locking lips with him as she baits him under the shower. With her right hand busy, she uses her left to turn the nozzle behind her and the water shoots out from above.

"I like your style mam," Max says as he kisses down her neck.

"Silence you," she responds breathily.

"Can't do that," Max says as he picks her up and sits her in his arms.

"Insubordination? I should – Mmm… file a complaint… oh yeah," Annali says as Max tickles her ribs with his kisses.

"Promises- Promises, now how about we try out your new idea, hm?" Max suggests with a smile.

"*chuckle* you'll love it"

 **Hey guys, sorry I didn't post any new chapters in a while. I've been so wrapped up on some issues I've been having outside writing. Also with the chapter of my other story taking so long to finish it's the reason why I haven't uploaded the chapter.**

 **That chapter was the Core chapter of the story and my main focus on achieving. So again I will be going back and forth with writing chapters for both stories because I have a ton of peeps who like the other one and then there's you guys to which I have to keep up with as well. (Skip to the next paragraph if you're impatient to read this next paragraph)**

 **Anyway, if you have been reading carefully on the character description, then I will ask if any of you know how to digitally draw and are great at interpreting physical features and translate that into drawings. If you can, that's great, but if not, that's fine. In my other story I told those who were reading it that I have a DeviantArt page where I upload sketches of the characters in that story. I wanted to draw the characters from this story but I only have one drawing style. So basically what I'm asking is if you know how to draw WELL then maybe you can help me out and draw a sketch and maybe send me a picture or file containing it.**

 **You don't have to do it but I'm just asking if you can do it. I was just asking. I know I'm asking for a lot but it would be a great favor for me.**

 **As always, have a nice day ;)**

 **P.S. My author notes are way too long. I know that.**

 **Bye:D**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

 **0600 A.M. Crew's Quarters- PFS Trianis- February 29, 2183**

Annali finds herself in a misty jungle: tall curvy trees draped with vines that reach all the way down to the muddy dirt. Water, about 3 inches high and black as space. Everywhere she looked there were trees that kept going on and on until disappearing into the mist. Annali found herself still wearing her armor and weapons still on her, "This is eerie," instinctively, she takes out her pistol and points the way forward. She crawls through the thick vines and bushes that were in her way and it seemed to get thicker and thicker the more she progressed.

Finally, she cut through the foliage and found herself in the same spot she was in the first place because she could see her foot prints heading straight where she entered or where she tried to exit.

"What the hell?" she says.

She decides to go through a different path and so she takes a left; cutting through the thick foliage and then, again, finding herself in the same spot and finding her tracks going into the same direction she took.

She steps out from the bushes and then she hears a scream come from behind she could only recognize as… "Mom!" she exclaims and she starts running in the direction of the scream. She tries to go through the path she came out from but now there seems to be a solid wall. She bangs on the wall, trying to break it but it's no use, "AAAAAHH! MOM! HOLD ON!" she yells for her.

" _ANNALI!"_

Annali frantically tries to break though the wall but with no such progress. She backs away from the wall in search of a way to get through it and then remembers she had thermal Wall-Busters on her. She grabs one from her belt and then places it on the wall, runs to the middle of the area and then activates the detonator.

*BOOM*

The wall cracks open, revealing a large hole and Annali runs through it into a new area with trees now much lower but still taller. Water kicks up as she drives her feet into the ground to sprint faster towards the source.

"NGGH! LET GO OF ME! ANNAlI!" the sounds become much clearer as she get closer.

"MOM! I'M COMING!" Annali yells as she sprints faster than she could have thought possible.

"ANNALI!" The yell gets cut off suddenly. A bush reveals itself through the mist and Annali smashes through it.

"MOM?!" as she exits the bush, she finds no one there.

" _Annali… where were you… when I needed… you most..."_ her voice echoes from every direction.

"I-I couldn't- wh-" Annali sputters while looking up and down, left and right for the source of the sounds but the echoes only confuse her more.

" _You could have… but you didn't… you didn't love me…"_ her words hit Annali like a sack of bricks.

"I did- I mean I do, I do love you! Mom please! I can't…" a black figure emerges from the mist but doesn't reveal its form.

" _I never loved you… Goodbye…"_ The figure begins to disappear behind the mist.

"Mom… MOM NO, WAIT!" Annali starts to follow the figure but it quickly disappears, "MOTHER!" she screams at the top of her lungs for her. She runs through the mist and she finds herself in the same place she was in the start: Large trees, long vines, and her foot prints engraved into the muddy ground.

" _Goodbye"_

"MOTHER! DON'T LEAVE! PLEASE!" she screams for her, the mist accumulates more and starts to surround Annali, everything becomes dark, "MOTHER!" she screams and she jerks up from the bed screaming for her, "MOTHER!" she screams, startling Max. Max jerks up as well and sees Annali breathing very fast.

"Annali? Are you okay?" he asks. Annali then breaks down sobbing uncontrollably, her hands to her face as tears drip down from her, "Hey, hey, I'm here! Don't worry! Sshhh…" Max takes her into his arms gently but Annali wraps her arms around him tightly. He can feel her chest heave as she continues to sob into him.

"She doesn't love me…" she says.

"What? Who doesn't love you?" Max asks, confused.

"My mother… doesn't love me… she…" Annali stutters in between her sobs but sadness overtakes her and she sobs evens more.

"Your mother? Why would she hate you? She would never hate you Annali, don't even say that. You were having a nightmare! That's all it was!" Max says trying to reassure her and calm her down. Annali's cries begin to die down slowly; her huffs turn into sniffs and sniffles. Soon, she calms down enough to form words.

"I-I-I'm s-sorry Max *sniff* i-it was so terrible there!" she tries to explain and goes into a silence.

"It' okay, you can tell me! You can tell me anything. Take your time," Max says, not wanting to pressure her into doing anything after what she just saw. Annali takes a few deep breaths and looks up at him, her arms not letting go from his neck.

"*gulp* okay… I was in a forest… it was all so depressing I was in a misty jungle, so many vines and the mud… it looked so ugly. I tried getting out of there but I only ended up *sniff* in the same place. I couldn't' escape! I heard my mother scream for my name and I ran after her voice. I thought I found her but she wasn't there. She started saying that I didn't love her when I did and then she said… she didn't love me *sniff*" Annali tells him her dream, tears fall down from her face and land in between them.

"From what you've told me, she was the nicest person and most loving person in the galaxy," Max reminds her of her words. Annali remembers how her mother was to her and how caring she was, "What you saw was just a nightmare, I know she would never say such things to you and so do you," Max rationalizes with her. Annali calms down after a little bit and rubs her eyes.

"I'm sorry Max, you had to see me like that. I hate it when I have these kind of dreams. I just wish I could stop dreaming those kind of things, my mother always knew how to soothe me into calming down. Kind of like… you," Annali looks up at Max, looking into his chocolate brown eyes and feeling the warmth she always felt.

"Heh, I just hope I'm not a reincarnation of your mom. But then that wouldn't make sense since we were all alive at the same ti- Mmf," Annali plants her lips on Max's, silencing him and pushing him back down on the bed. She separates from the kiss and snuggles into his shoulder and moans into it.

"Mmm, Hah, you always know how to make me feel good Max," she says as she gets comfortable on the soft warm pillow that is Max.

Max felt warmed by her words and hugged her closer despite her natural armor stabbing his chest, he didn't care as long as she was there with him.

After a few minutes of cuddling in the bed, Max decides to get up first. Annali was fast asleep again so Max had to be very careful when trying to unfurl her arms from his neck. Carefully, he lifts his head and brings his arms behind him and slowly but gently uncrosses her arms and puts them on his chest. He hugs her gently and turns to the right and lets her roll out of his arms onto the bed.

"Phew, there we go. Now for some coffee," Max reaches into his armor and pulls out a small silver canister from his utility belt, "There you are," he takes the canister and pours hot water into it, mixing with the powdered Coffee beans. He shakes it up for a few minutes and then takes the lid off and takes a sip, "Mm-Mm, lucky I snuck this on board," Max says as he takes another sip.

"You snuck contraband on this ship?" Annali pipes up, scaring the daylights out of him.

"Pfft, I thought you were asleep! Great now I wasted a good swig of Coffee," Max says annoyed.

"Maybe you should change into your underwear first before you decide to make something. What if someone came in and saw you?" she asks looking down at his crotch.

"Well that would be just as bad as me getting caught having an affair with his Senior Liaison officer," Max says taking in what was left of his morning coffee.

"Don't say 'senior', it makes me sound old," she says before plopping down on the bed and wrapping herself in the covers. Max smiles at this and decides to slip into his clothes.

"Well, I better go now; my shift starts in a few minutes and I don't want the three stooges to find me missing for most of the day," Max explains as he puts on his shirt.

"You have the rest of the day to worry about that. Remember the Captain gave us this day to kick back and relax so…" Annali kicks off the covers revealing her naked and agile figure, making Max stop what he was doing. She walks up to him and leans up close to his face, "-why not keep a girl company, yeah?" she asks as she plants her lips on his.

Max smiles at her persuasiveness and starts rubbing her back up and down making her giggle toward his gentle caresses. He moves down from her plated back to her buttock and down her thigh sending shivers down her spine.

"Oooh~ don't stop… mmm," she pleads as she nuzzles his neck. He brings her leg up to his hip and reconnects their lips once again tasting each other.

Annali brings down Max's pants again and Max takes off his shirt and lifts her up into his arms as he takes her to bed again, "I'm starting to think you only want me for my body," Max says as he lays her down and plants soft kisses down her neck to her chest.

"Mmm~ that's what I was about to say, Oh~"

After a while of teasing and caresses, the two meet eyes and consents were given to move forward.

"You know what I want, Hah~ do it," Annali tells him with a heavy exhale as she spreads her legs, revealing her treasure to him again.

"Now? Seems a bit rushing into things don't you think?" Max asks weirdly.

"I don't care just do it!" Annali tells him impatiently. Max's brows furrow but he follows her command and drives his manhood slowly into her, splitting her flesh and making her moan in pleasure, "Oooh~ that's so… heavenly," Annali says as her head falls back to the bed. Max already caught in the moment begins to thrust into her, the feeling of being back inside her giving him flashbacks of the night before. Being in the shower and doing it was the most erotic thing he had experienced up until that point. Her smooth skin under the warm water and his manhood shoved inside her proved to be an excellent combination.

" _I'm starting to think she likes sex more every time we do it. Ah what the hell, I'm not complaining,"_ Max says to himself as he continues to drive himself into Annali's pussy. Annali starts moan even louder and she wraps her arms around his neck, hugging him closely as his manhood drives into her even deeper.

"Oh~ that's so good… f-fuck… I feel s-something," she says as her breathing becomes fast paced.

"I think I know the feeling. Go ahead," Max says as he thrusts harder into her.

Annali's face feels flushed as her climax reaches its peak. It hits her hard and she loses her senses as lust takes over her brain. She bites down on his shoulder as her body releases her juices onto his crotch. Max feels her canal tighten and clamp down on him and this send him over the edge, "Oh god… here it comes…" he hugs Annali tighter and rams himself hard into her and releases his seed deep inside her.

"*gasp*… hah~" Annali feels the familiar warmth inside her, travelling up into her womb. Her eyes roll to back as the feeling of his essence inside her pleasures her to no end, "Oh that feels so good," she says as she places her hands over her belly. She looks down to see Max breathing heavily after their intercourse, "Are you tired now?" she asks with a devious smile.

"You… are… evil… I say…" Max says, breathing heavily. Annali giggles and hugs him close to her and plants a passionate kiss on his lips.

"You love me the way I am," she says happily. Max doesn't respond but mentally agrees with her.

" _I guess I do,"_ he says mentally.

 _-Later-_

After their cuddle session, Annali and Max change into their clothes and head out to meet with Cay, Ranan and Dray for some Uno. Max shuffles the card in his hands as they head up the stairs to the Engineering deck and making sure Annali doesn't get the win this time.

"*chuckle* making sure I don't win this time Maxie?" she asks giving him a smug look.

"I'm not going to lose to you again. I'm the King of Uno and I aim to re-establish my dominance over this game," Max says as he continues shuffling.

"You know you can always 'dominate' me, right?" Annali says as she gives him a seductive look.

Images fly across Max's head as he recalls the time in her quarters but quickly shakes his head to get rid of the images, catching her plan, "No, you are not going to trick me into letting you win. That's not going to work this time," Max says he looks away.

"*chuckle* doesn't hurt to try right? Come on, they're waiting for us, let's not keep them waiting!" Annali says as they enter the Rec Room.

Waiting inside are Dray, Cay and Ranan standing by the table along with Adam. Adam sees Max and Annali enter and waves for them.

"Hey guys over here!" Adam says. The three turn to see them and smile as they approach them.

"What took you guys so long? I was just about to start my own game," Ranan says.

"Sorry guys, it's just that someone was 'stalling' us from coming," Max says, looking down at Annali with her devious smile.

"Oh is that the word you're gonna use? Fine then, I guess I'll just come in and 'stall' you some more," she states as she leans in close to his face with a smug look.

The four just stare at them in awkward silence until Cay breaks it, "Alright let's play some Uno now guys I'm getting impatient. Max cut the cards," Cay tells him, bringing everyone to the table.

Max shuffles the cards once again and begins to give each person seven cards. He hands Cay, Dray, Ranan and then Annali's but stops at Adam, "You're going to play?" he asks.

"Yeah of course, why not? I have some free time today after helping run some tests with Tullvus," Adam explains. Max shrugs and hands him his set of cards and then counts his own deck.

Max joins the rest of the group and sits opposite of Annali, "What's wrong Max? Afraid I'll sneak a peek at your cards?" she asks.

"I'm not taking my chances sitting next to you so I'm going to strategically stay on this side. We'll see if you win or lose. Now let's start this! Since you won last time, you'll start us off," Max says and he places the first card from the stack on the table.

Everyone takes a look at their cards. Everyone gives a wrinkled face when they see it except Annali who just stares at her cards calmly, giving no hint she received a good or bad hand. She takes a card and places it down: a draw two card on Adam. Adam smirks and places down his own draw two to add up to four. Max quickly places his own draw two following up with Ranan's draw two along with Dray and Cay. Annali's mouth drops as she sees all the cards added up on her, a total of 12 cards.

"Looks like you have to draw Annie," Max teases as he leans back with his hands behind his head.

Annali shoots him a devious look and turns to Adam, "Hey Montero, can you keep it going?" she asks. Adam looks at her puzzlingly and nods slowly. Annali drops a draw 2 and Adam quickly follows up with his card, landing on Max who has no extra Draw two's.

"What?" Max shouts. He looks up at her with a dumbfounded face making Annali laugh along with the others.

"Heh,heh, didn't you shuffle those cards?" she asks chuckling.

"Are you serious? Ugh, why is it only me?" he asks, crossing his arms.

"Oh don't be saggy Max, we've all had our setbacks as well," Dray says, reaching over and patting Max's shoulder.

"Oh sure, like I haven't been constantly defeated by a woman before, the same one for that matter," Max says annoyed.

"*giggle* Oh Maxie, I'll make it up to you later, I promise," Annali states comfortingly.

"In what way do you say?" Max asks.

Annali's blue eyes stay on Max's, giving him a seductive look. Max gets the message and gives a quirky smile in return.

"Alright let's continue the game now! Max draw your 16 cards and let's keep 'er goin," Ranan states. Max draws his cards and shakes his head in disbelief and looks up to see Annali still staring at him with that seductive look.

" _She certainly has a way with guys huh?"_ he asks himself mentally.

The game goes on for what seems a lot longer than usual. Already having sifted through the stack of cards six times, no one can get past having one card and calling 'Uno out'. Dray had gathered a fairly large amount of cards during the game. Each time the game came close to ending with Annali being the potential winner. Ranan was on par with Max and Adam having six cards each while Cay was close to winning as well but only to draw more cards with Dray's Draw 4 card.

"Oh come on! Why do you put that down now?" Cay asks angrily.

"I don't have a yellow or a 6 so I had to go with that. Now draw!" Dray tells him.

"*mumbles* there, done! Now you've screwed us all up because Annali only has one card left and no one knows her color or card!" Cay points out. Dray places his hands on his head realizing the reality of the situation. Annali smiles smugly at Dray.

"Better choose wisely Dray. Do I have a yellow or a blue? Or maybe a red or Green. Who knows?" Annali teases him.

The table falls silent as Dray prepares to make his choice, "*sigh* I pick… green," Dray decides.

Everyone looks at Annali, unsure whether Dray made the right choice or ultimately screwed them all. Annali looks up from her last card and opens her mouth to speak.

" _ ***tzzk* Liaison Officer Veren, your presence on the bridge is requested immediately! *tzzk*"**_ the speakers go off. Annali looks down at her card and then back up at the group.

"Sorry boys but duty calls. Looks like we won't find out who wins, eh?" Annali says as she gets up from the table.

"Can you at least show us your card?" Cay asks. Annali shows them the backside of the card with the game name but not the front side.

"There you go. Happy now? I'll be back in a few," she says before giving Max another mysterious but seductive look, "Especially you," she says before walking through the doors.

The group looks straight at Max, wondering what she meant by that, "Is there something going on that I'm not aware of?" Cay asks.

"Uuuuuhhmmmm no… nope. Nothing going on," Max sys quickly. Everyone face remains unconvinced, "What?"

Everyone looks at each other then back at him, "Are you… with the Liaison Officer?" Dray asks. Max's mouth opens to try and come up with an excuse but nothing comes out, "Wow… just wow!" Dray simply.

"Guys it's not like that!" Max follows up.

"Oh really, then what is it?" Dray asks, stumping Max again.

"Listen Max, we're not mad or anything. At least I hope none of us are mad," Dray says looking at Ranan and Cay.

"I'm not. I got better things to do than pursue a relationship," Cay says crossing his arms.

"All I can say is way to go Max. You snagged the hardest one of the bunch or should I put it, she did," Ranan says.

"What do you mean 'she did'?" Max asks.

"I know that look she gave you. I know because all Turian women do that when they've found a 'partner' for them. It's their way of saying 'You are mine'," Ranan explains.

"So you have a wife?" Max asks.

"Why else would I be telling you this stuff?"

Max looks at Adam who is just sitting there just listening in on the conversation, "You better not tell anyone about this," Max threatens.

"Why? I didn't hear a thing," Adam says as he looks down at his cards. Max smiles toward his friends understanding and looks to the group, "If word gets around saying we're together I'm not sure how my- or your government will react to this," Max explains his concerns.

"Well, all I can say is I don't know what will happen but it's best if you keep it a secret. Especially with Ja'quar up on his feet now. I hear he's already recovered from his injuries and they're saying that he's going to give a certain 'someone' what's coming to them. So there's that," Ranan explains as he flops his cards out on the table, "We have to go now, our shift starts in 2 minutes and I believe you should join us as well Max. We've had Cay pick up your slack the entire time you were on your fieldtrip with Annali,"Ranan explains.

"The Captain gave me this day to relax and take a break after the firefight I just had with Cerberus," Max states.

"Did she give you an Order Code?" Ranan asks.

"Umm, no"

"Then I can't tell if you're making it up unless Annali or the Captain tells me otherwise. Now come on, we've got work to do," Ranan says as he, Dray, and Caylio walk out the room.

"Max, umm, if you're having this relationship with the Liaison Officer then I highly suggest you speak to Tullvus for some more in depth advice on this," Adam suggests.

"Why? What else is there to them?" Max asks, some fear in his voice.

"Well, from what he's told me, female Turians: when they find a partner they will start showing some signs of, how should I say this, 'aggressive affection' I guess you could say. When they start making it clear in public towards people that no one else can have their partner but them," Adam explains.

Max takes the information into account and lets it sink in, "I think I follow you but I'm not entirely sure," Max states as he gathers everyone's cards.

"Which is why you should talk to Tullvus about this because I don't fully understand Turian behavior either. And I thought we were the most complicated species in the galaxy. I have to go now, I'll be in Medbay in case you want to talk to him or me. Later amigo," Adam says as he gets up and leaves.

Max gathers all the cards except Annali's card. He puts them all together and wraps the rubber band around them and stuffs it into his pocket. Exiting the Rec Room he wonders what else he doesn't know about Annali. If there's more to it than just the occasional get together and go rowdy relationship, then he has more to worry about than having to deal with Ja'quar again.

 **Bridge- PFS Trianis**

As the elevator carries Annali up, she places her hand on her belly and feels the warmth of Max's essence, tilting her head back onto the wall in pleasure of it. She knew Max was the one for her and she knew the group had gotten her very obvious signals that she and Max were together. They were probably already chewing out Max for being with her but not in a bad way. She knew the Engineers too well to know that they are very understanding when it came to relationships.

" _If those three discourage him from me I swear they will pay for it,"_ Annali tells herself but no worry comes to thought. Only that she loved Max and she had found the one for her.

Annali steps out of the elevator into the, as always, busy bridge. The Captain is at the front looking out of the window and down at the Planet. The unmistakable beauty of it can always catch the eyes of any person, especially veteran explorers. Caepraka notices Annali and turns to her.

"Good Morning Captain!" Annali salutes.

"Morning Officer, sorry to call you up on your day off but I need your duties for today," Caepraka states.

"And what would that be Captain?"

"I'm exchanging one of our engineers for one of the Kilimanjaro's," she tells her.

"Another Human?"

"Yes, I am exchanging Caylio Albucius for one of their Tech Specialist's. I believe you've met him down on Chasca during the mission…" the elevator doors open behind Annali and she turns to see the new rookie she will be settling in, "This is Corporal Chance if you don't remember," she clarifies.

"Yes, I do remember him. You explained the Cerberus Raid plan didn't you?" Annali recalls.

"Ah yes Officer, I did. I was very nervous because it was my first time in actual combat," he explains.

"We all have our first times, eventually we experience them first hand," Annali states.

"No doubt about that Liaison, heh," Chance chuckles.

"I know I can trust you with him Veren. Make sure he doesn't fight with that ass clown, Ja'quar," she tells Annali directly.

"Aye Captain, it won't happen with him. I promise!" Annali states and she motions for Chance to follow her.

"Wait, fight who? What is she talking about?" Chance starts asking nervously.

"Oh it's nothing to be worried about really. You'll be fine," Annali assures him.

Annali and Chance walk into the elevator and stand opposite of each other, with Annali by the console and Chance opposite of her. Annali presses engineering deck and the elevator descends down. As the elevator floats down, Annali takes the time to take a look at her new problem for the coming months. Chance was smaller compared to Max in height. In fact she was at least 3 or 4 inches taller than him. His body wasn't as muscularly built as Max but they were defined and built to fit for his size. If he and Max were to go against each other, she had her bets on Max indefinitely. His hair was lighter than Max's dark brown. His hair was brown, however, the tint was more hazel. It was trimmed on the side while the top was left to be longer but short enough to be considered short. It was neatly combed to the right and it looked very solid. Could it be? Annali decided maybe she would learn more about him if she asked some question about him. You know for fun.

"So, what is your full name?" she asks first.

"Robert Chance, mam!" he answers.

"I noticed back then you had an accent. One I haven't heard amongst other humans," Annali points out.

"It is Finnish, well sort of. Depending on how someone hears it. Many hear it as heavy Scottish accent when in fact my accent is Finnish. I just have a weird way of pronouncing the English version of Finnish," Chance explains.

"Ah, interesting! There is another human here, I hope you know, whom I don't think has an accent. His tone is very, how should I say it?"

"Monotone?"

"No not that, it's hard to describe it! Perhaps you can tell me since you are human. Your species has many cultures I hear and maybe you can tell me what his is."

"Heh, I'll try!"

The doors open to Engineering and the two step out into the busy hallway. Chance stayed close behind Annali as she led them through the hallways and up a small staircase and then into another hallway. At the end of the hallway was an intersection; straight forward was another hallway leading down to the Gym and Rec Room, to the right was the rest of Engineering's crew, and to the left was the Engine Room itself.

"Here we are Corporal! This is Engineering here!" Annali points out, "I'll introduce you to the crew, I believe you'll find them to be very… hospitable…" Annali trails off when she sees a disgusting face emerge from Engineering's crews' quarters. Ja'quar. He had a medical brace attached to the left side of his face; to hold it together after what Max had done to him. He looked madder than before and his eyes were blazing with fury saying he wanted revenge and he was out seeking for Max, "Umm, let's go now! I'm on a tight schedule so we might have to hurry up!" Annali tells him quickly as she pushes him into the Engine room. She closes the door behind them and locks it in case he decides to walk in, "Phew, anyway, let me introduce you to the team you'll be working with. Follow me," she orders. They circle around the Eezo core to Dray and Ranan's station, "This is Dray Epididas and this is Ranan Wenthesi!" she states. They turn around to see Annali with a human behind her and awkwardly tilt their heads in curiousness.

"Is this the guy replacing Cay? He looks rather… small-ish," Ranan asks.

"Hey I'm an average 5 foot 11! I am no shortie," Chance reputes before Annali blocks him with her arm.

"Quiet you two! You will get along with Chance as you have with Max and Montero. If you happen to have any problems with that I will drag you of this ship and place you in front of the ships Main gun! I'm sure you have the mental capacity to imagine what comes after?" Annali threatens Ranan with a hard tone to her voice.

"Y-yes sir," Ranan quickly answers.

"Now, I want you to get Corporal Chance accustomed to his new duties here and give him a tour of the Trianis so he doesn't get lost as well as getting him settled in his new quarters," Annali orders.

"Yes mam," Ranan replies and he motions for Chance to follow him.

As they leave, Annali turns to Dray, "Where's Max? Is he in his quarters?" she asks.

"Yes, he's doing some calibrations with the Core's potential power output so I think it's best if you leave him alone for…" he trails off when Annali gives him a scary/annoyed look, "Or drop by and say hi if you want… I got stuff to do so I'll leave you at that," Dray says quickly and types away at his console. Annali smiles and stealthily walks through his door ever so slowly. She keeps her breathing slow and her movements slower so to not give a hint of uneasiness in the air. She tip toes up behind Max and raises her arms to jump scare him.

Just as she's about to howl, Max's ear twitches and he spins so quick he catches Annali off guard, "Boo!"

"Whaa- AAAHH!" Annali screams as Max picks her up onto his shoulders and bouncers her up, "Aah-Aah-Aah- Ma-Aax-x- s-sto-Oop- pl-leEAse!" Max drops her onto his bed and leaves the both of them laughing and gasping for air.

"Number one thing when sneaking up on me: you can scare anyone else but me!" Max says tickles Annali's sides, making her laugh hard.

"Oh NO, please stop! I'm NOT good when it comes to tickling!" she pleads with him all the more fueling his need to tickle her more.

"Say the magic words and I'll let you go"

"Okay, okay, I'm SORRYYYY! Please STOP! Hahahaheh!" Annali screams before Max lets her go. Her lungs trying to catch air before her brain passes out, "Oh my goodness, Hah, I haven't laughed that hard in years," she states.

"When you want a good laugh you come to me! I specialize in morality boosts and relaxation," Max adds in.

"Are you a certified doctor?" Annali asks, still lying down on his bed.

"No PhD, but I'm certified in the eyes of others which should make me a Professional in this field"

"Pshh, that's what you meant when you said you were the Kind of Uno!" Annali tells him making his mouth drop and she bursts out laughing.

"Woooow, that was harsh! Not cool man," Max puts his hands up giving the look that he's about to tickle her again.

Annali's eyes widen when she sees this, "Nononono, please I'm sorry, I take it back! Please don't do that again!" Annali pleads as she tries to get away from him but gets cornered.

"Oh don't be afraid, this one's on the hou-"

 ***Officer Veren, you are needed at the bridge immediately!***

"Hah, saved by the Captain. Looks like you won't be getting me this time!" Annali states with a smirk.

"Oh you'll get it one day my dear, mark my words. Now go see what the Captain wants, I'll be here waiting."

"If I'm coming back for another one then consider me in my quarters for the rest of the day!"

"Alright, alright, I won't do it then. We'll just… talk then," Max says.

"Alright then, we'll 'talk'. I'll be back in a few!" Annali gives him a quick kiss and leaves the room.

"*chuckle* yep, she'll be getting it soon"

 _-Later on the bridge-_

Annali arrives at the bridge to see it with so many more people running from one place to the other. They seem… spooked. Caepraka is at the front talking to one of the crewman until she sees Annali and dismisses him, "Annali, I hope you made our new Engineer comfortable in his new environment?"

"Of course Captain! He fit right in along with Engineer Tereshkova," Annali reports proudly.

"That's good… very good," Caepraka says it not very enthusiastically which raises suspicion.

"Is there something wrong Captain?" she asks.

The Captain looks behind her out the window and then motions for her to join her up with her. Annali walks up beside her and stares out the window into the dark abyss with only the planet and the stars to give the scene some life. Annali looks to her left aside from Caepraka and sees the Victrition but no Kilimanjaro, "Um, Captain, where is the Alliance vessel?" she asks.

Caepraka looks at her and she points out the window, "Do you see that white smidge over there in the distance?" she asks. Annali tries to locate it but doesn't seem to see it until she squints her eyes before she sees an oddly shaped structure in the distance.

"Yes I see it! What about it?" she asks curiously.

"We aren't sure but Captain Colt believes it to be a Cerberus structure of some sort and that seems to have spooked him," Caepraka explains.

"Spooked him? What could be so dangerous that it spooked him?" she asks, wanting to know more for the Captain's disappearance.

"We talked about it along with Captain Linnius of the Victrition on the Comm and we settled on the decision where the Kilimanjaro would circle around it, out of radar's view, while we approach it," she explains further.

Annali's brow plates furrow in confusion, "Why are we the ones taking the lead? This is their mission, shouldn't they be investigating it?" Annali asks, considering the Dreadnought has the capability to hold its own in a battle if it came to it.

"Yes this is their mission but I actually have to agree with Captain Colt for having us as the front line."

"Before I say we're acting as Guinea pigs, why are we taking point?" Annali asks. Caepraka gives her a look of pure discipline, "Sorry, I'm just curious," Annali tries to explain herself.

"If Cerberus knew there was an Alliance vessel in the system they would either launch an all-out assault against us or they would pack up and leave the planet before we can even find out what they are up to. And right now, we need to know what they are up to! Does that clarify enough?" Annali doesn't say anything but quickly nod in response, not wanting to frustrate her any further.

"Good"

"Excuse me mam?! You have to see this," one of the radiomen states.

"What is it?" Caepraka joins the Turian at the console, leaving Annali on the bridge to look at the weird structure.

She takes a closer look to see something separating or flying out of the structure, " _What the hell?_ " she squints more to get a clearer look at it but it seems to be on some sort of course. The object suddenly remains still until it becomes clearer and clearer; the object now taking the shape of a-

"Is… is that a torpedo?"

Caepraka looks away from the console and looks through window. Her eyes widen in fear to see the object take the shape of a massive warhead.

"RAISE THE SHIELDS NOW!" she orders suddenly. One of the Crewmen flip a latch and slam his hand onto the button.

*BOOM*

The ships barriers turn on just in time to block the warhead from making contact with the hull. The ship shakes violently due to the sheer force of the missile.

"SHIT! SOUND THE ALARM! ALL CREW TO THEIR STATIONS, THIS IS CODE RED! GET ME THE KILIMANJARO!"

"Unable to sir! The structure is jamming our comms with both the Kilimanjaro and the Victrition! Our lips are stitched! The structure is out of our ships weapons range!" the radioman states.

"Damn! Veren, get down to Engineering and get that Engineer of yours to pump some more juice into those shields! We need to get close to that structure to return fire but we can't do that if we if we sustain too much damage!" Caepraka orders. The ship rumbles as incoming fire collides with the shield.

"Yes mam!" Annali shouts and runs toward the elevator. She slams the console for Engineering. the doors close and quickly drop down to Engineering. She steps out to meet multiple crew members running around trying to get to their stations. She darts out of the elevator and sprints for the Engine Room with all of her might. She was nervous if Max got hurt by the surprise attack.

*BOOM*

 ***BWOONNGG* *BWOONNGG***

 ***ALL PERSONNEL TO THEIR STATIONS! WE ARE UNDER ATTACK!***

*BOOM*

 ***CRAP! CERBERUS CRUISERS JUST APPEARED OUT OF NOWHERE!***

*BOOM*

Annali runs into engineering and up to Ranan, "We need to give the ships shields more power! Those missiles are going to tear us apart!"

"Max is already on it! I'm helping stabilize the core from exploding with the insane amount of energy he's sending to the shields!" Ranan quickly explains.

"And Corporal Chance?"

"He's helping Ranan keep the conduits stable as well! I can't talk right now Veren I'm seriously busy at the moment!"

"Okay I'll leave you be. Just keep it up, I don't know when we're going to get out of this or how!" she states and turns to Max's room. The door slides open to reveal Max at his console and trying to keep up with all the pressure that's on him, "Max, are you okay?" she asks.

"Yeah I'm alright! I'm giving the shields everything I can give it but whatever's hitting us is really affecting my ability to even keep the ship on. What the hell is going on out there? Where's the Kilimanjaro?" Max asks not looking away from the console.

"They left to scout a 'potential' danger to us and-"

*BOOM*

"-and then the 'danger' started firing on us!"

"I guess that rules out it being friendly."

*BOOM*

"Damn, can't we signal to the Kilimanjaro for help?" Max asks frustrated.

"They're jamming our comms so we can't communicate with them. They have no idea we're under attack!" Annali explains.

"Wait a minute, if they're blocking our comms then it must be a very complex tech issue with the Quantum entanglement array!"

*BOOM*

"-I think Chance knows how to bypass their firewall and get us talking to the Kilimanjaro again," Max states turning to look at Annali, "You have to get him to your communications room or else without the Kilimanjaro we're screwed!" Max explains before turning back to the console, "Go!"

"Alright!" Annali darts out the room and runs to Ranan, "Ranan, where's Corporal Chance?" she asks.

"He's just down below with Dray. I'll let them know you're coming!" Ranan says as he continues typing away at his console.

Annali nods and runs out of Engineering towards the flight of stairs. She jumps the railing and lands down at the lowest deck. She hisses in pain as her feet ache from the landing, " _That was stupid!"_ she tells herself and she walks carefully down the hallway. Her Omni-tool flashes orange and she flips it up to see Dray's face, "Dray, where are you? Where's Chance?" she asks.

"Chance is here with me! Keep following the hallway and you'll see us at the end! What did you need?" he asks.

"I need Chance at Communications to reestablish links with the Victrition and Kilimanjaro! Send him over!" she states as she makes her way through the hallway.

"I can't let him go; I need his help with this repa-"

"Dray Epididas, I need you to send Corporal Chance to Communications immediately or else we're all going to die!" Annali orders angrily.

Dray's mouth remains open but he doesn't say anything so instead he nods, "Chance, go to communications, I'll take over from here!" Dray says, "He's going over to you now. However, I need your help Annali, I can't do this alone," Dray says.

"Fine, I'll be there in a sec. Veren out!" she switches off the Omni-tool and continues on her way. The ship shakes violently again, making Annali stumble and her ankle flare in pain, "Gah, why did I jump over the railing?" she asks herself. Steps can be heard approaching from around the corner and that's when Chance appears.

"Mam, are you alright?" he asks concerned.

"I'm fine Chance, just get to communications and get us back up and quick!" she orders him.

"Aye sir!" he salutes and runs through the corridor towards the stairs.

Annali carefully hops on one foot towards Dray's location, trusting his directions of following the hallway. The ship creaks and groans with each direct hit to the ship, putting up a debate whether the shields will hold long enough for the Kilimanjaro.

" _Max better hold it! I trust him,"_ Annali tells herself.

*BOOM*

"DRAY! YOU THERE!"

*cling*

"Over here Annie!" Dray shouts back. She sees a small vent from where his legs are poking out and she crouches down to see him untangling a wide variety of wires of different colors.

"What did you need help with?" she asks.

"Sync your Omni-tool to this access point will ya? Tell me when you got it," Dray instructs her.

Annali opens up the program and syncs her Omni-tool to the point, "Alright, there. Now what?" she asks.

"There's going to be an error message every now and then so when that happens you tell me immediately," Dray instructs.

"What if I don't tell you in time?" she asks.

"Then no power will come from the core which means no shields and then we die. Now tell me when the error message pops up," Dray explains and starts to work on the wires.

A few seconds pass by before the error message pops up suddenly, "Error!" she states quickly.

Dray quickly replaces the wire he was on and the message on Annali's Omni-tool switches to stable, "It says it's stable Dray!" she states.

"Okay good, moving on! Just need to replace three more and that's it! With everything Max is doing, it's really putting a strain on the power conductors from processing this much power. It's insane!"

"Just hurry up!"

"Alright, alright!"

Meanwhile, Chance runs up flights of stairs through each deck to get to the communications room. The elevators were out of service for the time being what with the danger of power disappearing at some point.

*BOOM*

The ship rocks violently causing Chance to stumble on the stairs and almost bang his head on the edge of the step, "Gah, I always hated staircases," Chance grunts. Continuing up the stairs, he finds himself in the bridge. He looks around for the Communications room but to no avail he finds himself lost.

Caepraka notices Chance looking around with a confused expression and she becomes suspicious, "Corporal, what are you doing here? You should be down in Engineering."

"I-I know sir- I mean Mam- Captain, yes. Annali sent me to try and bypass the Communications Jammer. I think I can get a message out to the Kilimanjaro and alert them," Chance explains.

Caepraka's eyes narrow down on Chance, "Can you do that?" she asks.

"I'm certain of it. If this is Cerberus then I can bypass their jammer with relative ease," Chance states with a determined expression.

Caepraka looks him over again and nods then points toward a Turian sitting on the other side of the bridge, "Private Kinnilius!" she gets his attention, "You are relieved of your station in place of Corporal Chance!" she orders. The Turian stands and salutes then leaves his station. Caepraka looks at Chance and waves a hand toward it, "Hurry, we don't have a lot of time," she states.

"Yes Captain!" Chance jumps into the seat, while Caepraka stoops just over him, and begins opening up the firewall, "Well now…" Chance mumbles interestingly.

"What is it?"

"It seems they are using the most advanced method of Jammer programming. This wasn't supposed to be implemented into the Alliance Tech Division until far later in the future," Chance explains.

"So can you bypass it?"

"…"

"Chance?"

"I… do think… this is possible. This may take a little while regardless I haven't seen this type of coding," he explains.

"I heard you were the best in this field"

"We're talking about Quantum Entanglement taken three steps further. I am good but I can only do so much Captain," Chance explains. He snaps his neck and cracks his knuckles then rolls his shoulders, "Alright… let's see what I can do."

*BOOM*

"Make it fast!"

"Don't worry about it!"

 _-Meanwhile in Engineering-_

"You know Max, I think I'm actually starting to see you as my role model!" Ranan shouts.

"Stay focused, you have no idea how hard this is for me right-"

The lights flicker rapidly as the sound of the core powering down sounds off.

"-now. Ah shit, RANAN, come with me!" Max runs out from his station and waves for Ranan to follow him.

"Where are we going?" Ranan asks confused. Max flips up his Omni-tool and interfaces with the ships Mainframe.

"I gotta get to the bridge and I need you to help me out with something," Max vaguely explains.

"What are we going to do?"

"This plan will either fail us or save us but it should work depending if we get there in time," Max explains as they exit the Engine room.

"What do you mean 'in time'?" Ranan asks again now nervous of the situation.

"Well, uh, I may have turned the core into an Eezo bomb," Max states embarrassingly.

"You WHAT?"

"Just help me with this, okay! It can be reversed I just need a way to divert the energy-build up from the shields cause it turns out your shields can only be so strong to the point of a ship-wide blackout due to overuse of power," Max explains as they run up the stairs.

"You know you could have talked to me about it besides going all out on your ideas."

"It doesn't matter at this point. What matters is I get there and you guide me through the ships wiring, okay?" Max states and continues up the steps to the bridge.

 _-Bottom deck-_

"Why are all the lights flickering?" Annali asks curiously.

"I don't know, I'm not getting another power surge. It looks like the core is taking energy from the ship. What is Max doing? Max what are you doing?" Dray speaks into the comms.

There's radio silence until Max's voice responds, **"Uh, nothing, nothing bad at all! Just, uh… nothing,"** Max vaguely states. Annali and Dray look at each other, both sensing something is up.

"Max, you tell me right now what you are doing! Why are the lights going on and off?" Annali asks demandingly.

" **Uh… I'll… tell you in a bit, gotta go, bye-"**

"Max wait-"

 ***tzzk***

"Damn it! He's doing something reckless and I'm going to find out what it is," Annali gets up from the vent.

"I'm sure he has it under con-"

*VEEEEeeooommm*

The power cuts out then comes back again, "Yeah let's check up on him," Dray finishes with the wiring and closes the vent shaft, "Alrigth let's go," Dray says as he begins to run. Annali thrusts herself forward to catch up but the pain in her ankle stabs her out of nowhere.

"Grrh, damn it!"

"What's wrong?" Dray stops just before turning the corner and runs back to see what's wrong.

Annali sits down and brings her foot up gently; the area around where her ankle would have been looked a bit swollen, "That's going to be a problem."

"What did you do, jump off an entire staircase?" Dray looks at Annali and notices her stiffen up, "You jumped off the staircase, didn't you?" he asks.

"Well It didn't look that high to be honest," Annali whines as Dray helps her up. He slings her arm around his neck and slowly the two make their way towards the staircase.

"Let's just hope Max doesn't do anything stupid now," Dray states.

"I trust Max knows what he's doing. He wouldn't go this far as to put the lives of the entire crew in danger," Annali vouches for him.

"Are you sure he's not with them?" Dray asks but immediately regrets his sentence.

"What are you saying, that he's with Cerberus?! We've known him for more than a week and he hasn't tried anything to put us in danger. All the better, he's helped us greatly from what I hear coming from the Engineers. _And me,"_ Annali mentions the last part in her head.

"Sorry Annali, it's just that he is smart but he seems to be a bit reckless when it comes to pressure and I've noticed he's been acting weird a lot. He's my friend too but I have my suspicions on everyone like Cay," Dray explains as nicely as he could.

"We all have some suspicion for everyone but it doesn't mean it's true. And why are you having second thoughts about Max?" Annali asks curiously.

"I don't know, he just seems to know a lot more than what I or any of the other Engineers know. Whatever, let's just get you to Med-bay for now," Dray states and then Annali stops, stopping him as well, "What?"

"I'm going to Engineering and you're taking me there. My foot can wait," Annali orders him. Without question, Dray listens to her and the two walks towards Engineering.

 _-On the bridge-_

Chance continues work on the firewall with little difficulty despite it being the most advanced coding known to man or the Galaxy.

"How are you doing on it?" Caepraka asks.

"I've nearly bypassed their code Captain, all I need are just a few moments without interruption and I'll be able to send out an SOS to the Kilimanjaro," Chance states. But his request comes too early as the screen flickers on and off then ultimately dies in front of him, "What the- what just happened?"

"Captain, power outages are happening all across the ship. Our shields won't last long now without a constant flow of power to them!" one of the crewmen announce.

"What? Tereshkova what's going on down there?" at that moment Max and Ranan walk through the door.

"Core is pulling energy from everywhere. If too much gathers it might be too much for it to handle," Max states quickly and he looks around at the floor, "Where is it you said?"

"Right here," Ranan takes off the grate from the floor and Max peers in.

"Wait, what do you mean the Core is sucking energy away from the ship? What's going to happen?" Caepraka asks.

"Uh, if the core continues to hold more energy it may redistribute it, you might say, rather violently," Max explains but tries to put it as vaguely as possible.

"You mean it's going to blow up?!" Caepraka interprets easily.

"Hold on, I need to re-route power from there to here and that should give control to the bridge," Max states. Some buzzing and sizzles can be heard until Max emerges from the floor again, "There we go, is the screen back on?"

Chance looks at it but it only flickers, "No," he says as he bangs on the keyboard, trying to get it to work.

"What? That should have worked!" Max is left stumped until an idea quickly reaches his mind, "I got it!" Max gets out from the floor, runs to Chance's console and breaks open the metal side of it. He reaches peeks inside and twists a few wires together in which the screen comes to life, "Try it now! Hurry, I can only keep it on for so long," Max says quickly.

"R-right! Starting bypass!" a small bar appears on the left side; quickly shooting to 25% to 57% then 78%, "Almost there… just a little…"

The screen reads: ***BYPASS COMPLETE***

"I GOT IT! YES! It worked!" Chance states enthusiastically.

"Great, now send that SOS!" Max shouts as he twists some more wires together. Chance types in the code and sends it just as the screen short-circuits and dies, "Gah, fuck," Max yelps as sparks fly from the wires and he quickly puts them back where they came from.

The shields flicker with a blue aura and then die out, "Tereshkova what about the shields?!" Caepraka asks frightfully.

"The what? Oh yeah, forgot about that! Oops!"

"Captain, their aiming their main gun at us!" one of the crewmen states. Everyone looks out of the window to see the end of the barrel start to glow blue and yellow from both cruisers.

 ***This is the Victrition, we are going to try and shield you!***

"There's not enough time for them to get in front of us or for us to move out of the way! Ranan, get on a console and vent the Engine room! If we can't divert the power to the engines then we can get rid of the excess from blowing up the core!" Caepraka orders.

"I'll try!" he says. He gets on the console and accesses the Engine room's mainframe. He prepares to vent the room but stumbles upon a problem, "Uh oh!"

"What now?"

"Even if I start the procedure, it will take a while before power returns to the Engines!"

Caepraka's eyes widen in terror and she stares back out towards the main gun of the cruiser, "Oh come on!"

…

 ***Did someone call for backup?!***

Colt's voice sounds over the speaker and at that moment the Massive Dreadnought exits from FTL.

"Get in between the cruisers, block their line of fire!" Colt orders. The Dreadnought flies in at full speed and gets in front of the Trianis. The Cerberus cruiser fires its main gun and hits the Kilimanjaro, enveloping it in a bright light and blinding everyone.

The light disappears and the Kilimanjaro stands strong, not even the shields were broken, "Kilimanjaro port-side, all batteries open fire!" The Kilimanjaro's left side lights up with tons of weapons fire, raining hell on the Cerberus cruisers. The first Cruiser falls easily with a direct shot at the bridge while the second Cruiser falls apart from the massive firepower of the Kilimanjaro, "All batteries, cease fire!" Colt orders. The left side falls silent suddenly only with the creaking and groaning of the Cruisers dying as background noise.

The bridge erupts in cheers and hollers in thanks for the wishful timing of the Kilimanjaro's arrival.

 ***I hope I wasn't too late Captain!***

"Heh, no, you came in just in time!" Caepraka breathes a sigh of relief.

 ***We're detecting a dangerously high amount of Eezo within your Core! You might want to check that now!***

Colt states, reminding Caepraka of the problem, "Wait, didn't you say you started the ventilation procedure?" she asks, turning to Max and Ranan.

"I did mam!" Ranan states.

"Did you check for anyone in the room?" she asks. Ranan stares blankly then looks down at the screen.

"No I didn't mam. Let me check… OOOH NO!" Ranan shouts in horror.

"What?" Max asks.

"Annali and Dray are in the Enigne Room! And I just started the procedure! W-We HAVE to get down there NOW!" Ranan states as he jumps out of his seat and towards the door.

Max's eyes widen fearfully and he sprints after him.

"TERESHKOVA, WENTHESI, WAIT! Ugh, guards; go make sure they get them out of there safely!" Caepraka orders. The four guards nod and follow suit after them. Chance gets out of his seat before getting blocked by Caepraka, "Where do you think you're going?" she asks.

"I gotta help Tereshkova mam. I can help him," Chance says.

"What makes you think you can help?" she asks.

"I can do more than sit behind a screen," Chance gives her a confident smile and he runs after them.

Caepraka looks at him with concerned expression, "I guess it's a thing for Humans to go after trouble," she tells herself.

[

"Annali! ANNALI! Can you hear me?!" Max shouts into the comms but all there is only static, "Damn it!"

"I think it's the interference of the core that's screwing with the signal!" Ranan suggests.

"That's not going to stop me from getting to her!" Max says determined. He starts doing something with his Omni-tool band, some sparks flying from it, and then he reactivates, "Let's see if this works."

 _-Engine Room-_

"Where are they? Shouldn't they still be here?" Annali wonders. Dray peeks into their quarters but finds nothing.

"No one's here Annie. Perhaps they're at the Bridge," Dray suggests.

"They would've given us a heads up if they were going somewhere- Hold on," her wrist begins to flash orange, signaling a call. She answers it and sees Max's face and he looks like he's running, "Max? Where are you? Where were y-"

" **Annali, you have to get out of there now! You're in serious danger!"** Max shouts to her.

"In danger? What are you talking about?"

 ***Engine Room Ventilation Procedure Initiated! Clear the area!***

"Uh Max?"

" **GET OUT OF THERE NOW!"**

Alarms start going off and red lights light up the room beside the euphoric blue Core. Dray runs up behind Annali and slings her arm around his neck, "We got to get out of here! We're about to get spaced!" Besides heading for the exit, Dray leads them to his quarters.

"Why are we going in there?" she asks confused.

"The doors are going to be locked to protect everything inside from getting sucked out! We'll be safe in-"

*SHOOM*-

The door closes right in front of them before they could even make it, "So much for your idea!" Annali states angrily.

"Damn, we got to hurry for the exit! Hopefully we're not too late!" Dray says hopefully. Annali tries to pick up the pace by jumping quickly on one foot while Dray gives her the long strides she needs to keep up. They make it around the core and see the hallway leading out from the room, "There it is! We're almost there Annali!" Dray says. They pick up the pace more but then the door starts to close, "Shit! Come on, we can make it!" Dray says as they near the exit.

Annali takes another jump with her good foot and her talons jab into the metal holes in the floor, "AH, Dray wait!" Annali slips out of Dray's arms and she aligns her leg with her foot to prevent it from dislocating.

"What is it?" Dray looks back at Annali and sees her foot jabbed into the floor. He runs up to her and assesses it, "Well it's not broken but it is stuck *grunt* and stuck good," Dray states.

"Well help me get it out!" she pleads as she tries to pull it out herself.

Dray tries to pull on it gently but Annali yelps in pain, "I don't know how to get it out!" he looks toward the door and sees it past halfway closed, "It getting close to locking us in!" Dray considers his options: he could stay with Annali and try to free her or save himself.

"Dray… what are you thinking?" Annali gives a concerned look at him. Dray looks at her but he shakes his head and continues to try and pull her out.

"I'm thinking that we are going to get out of here," Dray says as he tries to pull her out hurriedly but it only brings more pain to her.

"Ngh, it's no use! You have to get out of here Dray!" Annali tells him but he continues to try and pull her out.

 ***Ventilation Procedure will begin in T-minus 36 seconds!***

"No! Come on, we'll make it out!" Dray puts more force but Annali's suppressed cries of pain make him stop every time he thinks it's almost free.

"S-stop Dray. It's no use," Annali says breathing heavily, "You have to go!" she orders him but he stays put.

"I can't do that Veren, I can't leave a friend behind! No way," Dray says.

 ***T-minus 25 seconds!***

"Now's not the time to argue Dray, you have time to save yourself!" Annali reasons with him.

"Stop trying to kick me out and start trying to get your foot out! We have time!"

 ***15 seconds! ***

"Or not."

The door is nearly closed until an idea pops into his mind, "Hold on I'll be right back," Dray says as he runs into the engine room.

"Where are you going?" she asks. Dray disappears and the sound of glass breaking can be heard from the distance. He comes back with a large pipe with a ball point end at the tip, "What is that?" she asks.

"Your salvation. Watch out!" Dray jabs the end into the metal grate just next to Annali's foot and he pulls down on the metal rod. The grate begins to creak and bend, pulling the tapered ends away from her skin, "Almost… there… Grrh!"

 ***8 seconds! ***

"The door!" Annali shouts. Dray looks behind him to see the door already about to close.

"GRRH, COME ON!"

 ***5***

"IT'S NOT BUDGING!"

 ***4***

"GRRGH!"

 ***3***

 ***2***

"NO!"

 ***1***

*creak*

 ***Ventilation Procedure Halted!***

The two look back at the door to see two pairs of hands gripping onto the side of the door, keeping it from closing all the way, "Annali, you in there?!" Max's head appears from the window of the door, frantically trying to find her through it.

"*sigh* thank the spirits you arrived in time Tereshkova," Annali says with a heavy sigh of relief.

"I couldn't just *grunt* stand there and watch you float out into space. We're going to get you *grunt* out of there!" Max says with struggling tone.

"We're going to try and pull the door open wide enough for you two slip through okay?!" Dray states. Soon, the guards join in and hook their hands on the edge of the door, providing extra muscle.

"On the count of three, one of you will jump through the tight opening an then-"

"Wait Max, Annali can't get through!" Dray says quickly cutting off Max.

"What do you mean she can't?" Max asks.

"I can't move Max, my foot is wedged into the metal grate, it's stuck!" Annali states in a pained tone.

"What? Dray can you free her?" Max asks.

"I can do it but it'll take a while. I need another person to help me out to make things go faster!" Dray says as he grabs the metal pole.

 ***Core stability: Critical! Overriding protocol! Core Ventilation will start in 30 seconds!***

"-another person would be helpful right about now!" Dray shouts.

"Damn. Guys, can you hold the door for me to get in there and help them?" Max asks.

"GO, HURRY!" Ranan tells him. Max lets go of the door but the door begins to close and he grabs onto it again, keeping it in place, "Damn, we need you here helping us hold the door. Someone else has to go in there!"

"Here let me go in!" A voice pipes up from behind them. Everyone takes a quick look behind them to see Chance running up to them, "I'm small enough to slip in!"

"If you say you can then go, we'll hold the door for you! Make it quick, we don't have much time!" Max tells him. He looks at the Turians helping him hold the door and he nods to them, they in turn nod to him and pull the door even wider with a loud groan, "Now go!" Max orders.

Chance slips in headfirst, using his arms to pull himself through the tight space, and then steps his legs inside. Dray waves him over as he continues to try and stretch the grate, "Here, you pull on the rod while I try and pull her foot out, got me?" Dray instructs. Chance takes the rod and he pulls with all his might, bending the metal wider. Dray carefully pulls on her leg while she pulls up, taking the pain like a champ, "You all right?" Dray asks. Annali gives him one of the angriest glares he's ever seen and he goes back to his work.

 ***19 SECONDS!***

"Hurry up in there! We can't hold it for long!" Ranan yells through gritted teeth.

"I'm TRYING HERE!" Dray shouts frustrated, "Pull harder Chance! She's almost free!" Dray shouts.

"I'm pulling damn it!"

 ***tzzk* 8 seconds!***

"What the- shouldn't it have been 12?" Dray asks himself. Somehow, the countdown sped up by an extra 4 seconds from what it should have been, "PUUULL!"

"GRRRAAAHH!" Chance pulls the rod so hard a piece of the grate off, freeing Annali's bloodied foot. However, he hadn't expected the rod to come at him so quick and hit him in the face with a loud crack, "Oowch, aaah," Chance falls to the floor with his hand on his face, blood seeping from his hands.

"She's free! Open the door now we're coming through!" Dray shouts as he takes Annali by the arm. The group pulls hard on the door, making the entrance wider for the two to walk through easily. Dray walks through first and then Annali steps out.

"Wait, where's Chance?" Max asks and he looks through the window to see Chance just barely getting up from his injury, "Chance, get out of there!" Max yells at him.

 ***4 seconds!***

"Ngh, I'm… coming," Chance gets up hurriedly and scurries for the door.

 ***3***

"We have to close the door now!" one of the guards speaks.

 ***2***

"Chance hold on!" Max shouts as he summons of all of his strength and manages to pull the door even wider and he gets in between the door and reaches his arm out for Chance to grab, "Take it!" he shouts.

 ***1***

*SHOOOMM*

Chance manages to jump in time and grab Max's hand before the vacuum pulls on him. Below the core, the belly of the ship opens up, letting all its contents including the air out into space. With the air being jetted out, the vacuum pulls on Chance hard leaving him in midair with only Max holding him, "I GOT YOU!" Max begins pulling Chance in with what strength he has and pulls him into a bear hug before looking to Ranan and the guards holding the door, "CLOSE IT!" he shouts at the top of his lungs and he pulls Chance in just before they let go of the door.

*SLAM*

The door locks and a bright flash shines through the window.

 ***Core Ventilation: In progress! Await for further instructions!***

The speaker goes off. Everyone is left breathing heavily, Ranan and the guards shaking their arms to relieve their hands of the soreness. Max and Chance are left on the floor with Chance on top of Max, "Ugh, get off me Chance. I ain't into guys!" Max says as he shoves Chance of him.

"*cough* neither am I, heh! Oh, my nose, ow!," Chance says as he gets up slowly with the aid of Ranan.

"Yeah, your blood kind of stained my shirt dude. Get Adam to check you out, he's in Med-Bay. I'll assist in taking Ann- Officer Veren to Med-Bay for her injuries," Max says as he looks over to Annali whom is smiling warmly at him.

"Thank you Tereshkova that is kind of you. I would appreciate it if you took me there *grunt* rather quickly cause this pain is going to be a pain in my ass if I don't get some painkillers or something," Annali states looking down at her bloodied foot.

"Sure mam, anything for you," Max says as he slings her arm around his neck and begins taking her up the stairs.

"We'll report to Captain Caepraka over what happened here!" the guard states and he, along with the rest, walk off.

"Sure, we'll await further instructions from her!" Ranan says.

Dray walks up behind him with an exhausted expression, "Spirits, I have to say that was mighty unpleasant. I don't think I'll be able to sleep tonight… or ever!" Dray says to himself.

"I'm with you. Lucky Cay wasn't here to see this," Ranan adds in.

"I wonder, how did the countdown speed up so fast? I swear I was counting it well but now I'm not so sure," Dray wonders.

"I noticed that too! I might have to do a background check on the computer with Chance to find any signs of tampering," Ranan suggests.

 _-Med-Bay-_

Max walks in with Annali in his arms bridal style, the room is packed with injured Turians; one had gauze wrapped all over his head and another had a sling holding her arm as well as some gauze wrapping her other arm.

"Oh man, I didn't think that many people would have been hurt from this," Max says as he lets Annali stand on her one good foot.

"Yes, well, things happen by accident."

"Yeah but I'm the one who caused all of this; I nearly blew up the ship and nearly killed you. I should've seen the repercussions from tampering with the core conduits. I'm danger to everyone… even you," Max says guiltily. Annali senses his it and cups his cheeks as they walk.

"You were only trying to help. You know not every plan goes so. But in the end, you saved everyone on the ship. Including me," Annali leans up toward him and plants a soft kiss on him to witch he returns.

"Thanks, Annali, I needed that," Max says with a smile.

"Anytime"

As they enter Med-bay As they enter Med-bay Tullvus sees Max and Annali enter the room, "Annali? Are you alright? What happened?" he asks concerned.

"Oh nothing serious just kind of broke my foot and then got it stuck in the floor and then had to pull it out before I got sucked out into the space," Annali explains casually but Tullvus takes it more seriously.

"You broke your foot then pulled it out from getting stuck? Annali you have to be more careful than that. I know you; you're careless and reckless and think everything will be fine after its past. I have other patients to treat you know," Tullvus says angrily.

"Alright, alright, I'll be more careful this time. I was just in a hurry to get this all figured out!"

"*sigh* if you say so. Bring her over here," Tullvus motions for them to follow him. He leads them to another room with fewer people, "Here, lie her down on the bed," he tells him. Max gently helps her sit on soft mattress and lifts her legs up gently, adding a pillow under her bloodied foot to provide extra cushioning, "You really messed up your foot now. You said you broke it? In what way," Tullvus starts scanning her body up and down before looking at Max, "If it's okay, I would like to speak to Officer Veren for the moment," Tullvus asks nicely.

Max looks at Annali to which she gives him a nod to go, "I'll be fine Tereshkova, we'll talk after," she says. Max nods and leaves the room.

He looks around at all the injured crew members, none were seriously injured except for a broken arm and the usual scrape. " _I did all of this. Draining power from the ship and focusing it on the shields was pretty drastic but it only works well when you're doing it inside a dreadnought. This is a cruiser, the core is weaker than a dreadnoughts. It was a risk… but at least it worked out in the end,"_ Max says to himself.

Before he walks out he spots Chance getting treated by Adam, "Hey Chance, Adam clean you up well?" Max asks.

"No more blood but all in all, yeah!" Chance says wincing a smile.

"Don't move Rob, I still got to move your nose back in its place and then craft a small brace to keep it in check. Are you okay Max? You have some blood stains on you," Adam asks.

"I'm alright, this is Chance's blood. He cracked his nose somehow and he started leaking on me," Max explains with a disgusted look on him.

"He says he hit himself on something trying to escape the Engine room, he must've hit himself hard in order to crack his nose really good," Adam explains.

"Mm, I'm going down to the cafeteria to get something to eat. I'm starving from all this drama. You guys want anything?" Max asks turning to leave.

"Nah, I'm going to be busy for a while so I won't get a chance to take a break. So polite pass," Adam declines.

"Alrighty then, Annali's hurt by the way so can you keep an eye on her?" Max asks.

"Sure thing Max, no problem," Adam says with a nod.

"Thanks man," Max says thankfully, turning to leave the Med-bay. As he walks out, another Turian walks in to his left. The two exchange glances and Max instantly recognizes him… Ja'quar, " _You,"_ he says mentally.

" _You,"_ Ja'quar says mentally as well.

They don't stop but instead continue walking, not wanting to waste time with each other. Max's ears begin to burn red after thinking about him, "Maybe some food will get my mind of him," Max says to himself as he heads to the kitchen.

Upon arriving, he finds the entire room empty. Nothing but the white noise of the Air conditioner and the cook looking down at his Omni-tool for some companionship. The cook looks up from his wrist to see Max standing there just looking around. His skin tone was of dark coffee brown while some parts of his facial plates where jet black. His colony markings were somewhat identical to Annali's but down his forehead were four red, white, and green diamond figures arranged to make another diamond shape but maintained their distance from each other. His mandible had the same colors and were also streaks of colors put into their own separate bands, "You need something bud?" he asks with a gruff voice.

"Yeah, you got anything for us Humans? I'm starving at the moment, something that'll make me want to knockout you know?" Max asks leaning on the countertop.

"Sure thing, I heard milk helps you sleep well or at least makes the process smoother," the cook explains.

"Sure it does, just give me the jug for now. I'll hand it back to you when I'm done," Max says.

"If you're going to drink it's going to be in a cup. I aim to save the resources we have without you spoiling it. Here," the cook hands him the gallon of milk and a glass.

"Thanks man. Any bread too?" he asks.

"Yup, take it," the cook hands him the loaf of bread and Max takes them to one of the far ends of the table.

Max pours himself a glass of milk and dips some bread in and takes a bite out of it. He breathes depressingly since there is nothing to do, with each bite he makes an obnoxious sound of slurping and chewing. The cook looks away from his wrist towards Max and glares at him annoyingly, "Are you serious?" he asks. Max looks to him without rotating his head, his mouth stuffed with milk and bread.

"Mm? SSForry, can't helpf it. Just thinking about someone," Max explains himself.

"And who would that be eh?"

"Some douche I fought a few days ago. Been a real pain in my mind for the past few days," Max explains.

"You mean Ja'quar, that bastard? I can see why, he's always been a pain in everyone's ass. I was there when you fought him. I didn't think you would beat him but you did and that surprised me. Ever since then he's been really bitchy towards everyone and his followers. I saw him hitting the gym intensely every day after he was let go from the doc. My best guess is he's getting ready for Round 2. If there's one good thing I can say about him it's that he isn't a quitter. Or maybe that's a bad perk on your side," the cook says. Max takes in the information and nods.

"Well then, that makes two of us…" Max finishes his bread and chugs down the entire cup. He slides the now nearly empty gallon of milk down towards the opposite end of the table and it stops just at the edge. Max gets up to leave but stops just before the door, "-I don't give up either," he says and walks through the door.

The cook walks out of the kitchen and takes the nearly empty gallon of milk and looks at it at an angle. He looks back at the door from where he left and he shakes his head in agreement, "No doubt about that," he says and he walks back into the kitchen and places the jug back in the refrigerator.

 **Hey guys, sorry I haven't uploaded in like WEEKS! Or maybe it was one, I don't know.**

 **I've been caught up with so much stuff, especially since I'm going to be a counselor for a church summer camp for a few days. I've been preparing for the time because it's nearly a week of me being there for the campers and making sure they don't mess around.**

 **Despite that, I will work harder to crank out these chapters in a decent amount of time. It usually took me like two or three days to write a chapter and they were long ones too. Now, I can only write a few paragraphs cause my brain can't make sentences after a long period of typing.**

 **Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and as always…**

 **Have a nice day ;)**

Chapter 7

 **0600 A.M. Crew's Quarters- PFS Trianis- February 29, 2183**

Annali finds herself in a misty jungle: tall curvy trees draped with vines that reach all the way down to the muddy dirt. Water, about 3 inches high and black as space. Everywhere she looked there were trees that kept going on and on until disappearing into the mist. Annali found herself still wearing her armor and weapons still on her, "This is eerie," instinctively, she takes out her pistol and points the way forward. She crawls through the thick vines and bushes that were in her way and it seemed to get thicker and thicker the more she progressed.

Finally, she cut through the foliage and found herself in the same spot she was in the first place because she could see her foot prints heading straight where she entered or where she tried to exit.

"What the hell?" she says.

She decides to go through a different path and so she takes a left; cutting through the thick foliage and then, again, finding herself in the same spot and finding her tracks going into the same direction she took.

She steps out from the bushes and then she hears a scream come from behind she could only recognize as… "Mom!" she exclaims and she starts running in the direction of the scream. She tries to go through the path she came out from but now there seems to be a solid wall. She bangs on the wall, trying to break it but it's no use, "AAAAAHH! MOM! HOLD ON!" she yells for her.

" _ANNALI!"_

Annali frantically tries to break though the wall but with no such progress. She backs away from the wall in search of a way to get through it and then remembers she had thermal Wall-Busters on her. She grabs one from her belt and then places it on the wall, runs to the middle of the area and then activates the detonator.

*BOOM*

The wall cracks open, revealing a large hole and Annali runs through it into a new area with trees now much lower but still taller. Water kicks up as she drives her feet into the ground to sprint faster towards the source.

"NGGH! LET GO OF ME! ANNAlI!" the sounds become much clearer as she get closer.

"MOM! I'M COMING!" Annali yells as she sprints faster than she could have thought possible.

"ANNALI!" The yell gets cut off suddenly. A bush reveals itself through the mist and Annali smashes through it.

"MOM?!" as she exits the bush, she finds no one there.

" _Annali… where were you… when I needed… you most..."_ her voice echoes from every direction.

"I-I couldn't- wh-" Annali sputters while looking up and down, left and right for the source of the sounds but the echoes only confuse her more.

" _You could have… but you didn't… you didn't love me…"_ her words hit Annali like a sack of bricks.

"I did- I mean I do, I do love you! Mom please! I can't…" a black figure emerges from the mist but doesn't reveal its form.

" _I never loved you… Goodbye…"_ The figure begins to disappear behind the mist.

"Mom… MOM NO, WAIT!" Annali starts to follow the figure but it quickly disappears, "MOTHER!" she screams at the top of her lungs for her. She runs through the mist and she finds herself in the same place she was in the start: Large trees, long vines, and her foot prints engraved into the muddy ground.

" _Goodbye"_

"MOTHER! DON'T LEAVE! PLEASE!" she screams for her, the mist accumulates more and starts to surround Annali, everything becomes dark, "MOTHER!" she screams and she jerks up from the bed screaming for her, "MOTHER!" she screams, startling Max. Max jerks up as well and sees Annali breathing very fast.

"Annali? Are you okay?" he asks. Annali then breaks down sobbing uncontrollably, her hands to her face as tears drip down from her, "Hey, hey, I'm here! Don't worry! Sshhh…" Max takes her into his arms gently but Annali wraps her arms around him tightly. He can feel her chest heave as she continues to sob into him.

"She doesn't love me…" she says.

"What? Who doesn't love you?" Max asks, confused.

"My mother… doesn't love me… she…" Annali stutters in between her sobs but sadness overtakes her and she sobs evens more.

"Your mother? Why would she hate you? She would never hate you Annali, don't even say that. You were having a nightmare! That's all it was!" Max says trying to reassure her and calm her down. Annali's cries begin to die down slowly; her huffs turn into sniffs and sniffles. Soon, she calms down enough to form words.

"I-I-I'm s-sorry Max *sniff* i-it was so terrible there!" she tries to explain and goes into a silence.

"It' okay, you can tell me! You can tell me anything. Take your time," Max says, not wanting to pressure her into doing anything after what she just saw. Annali takes a few deep breaths and looks up at him, her arms not letting go from his neck.

"*gulp* okay… I was in a forest… it was all so depressing I was in a misty jungle, so many vines and the mud… it looked so ugly. I tried getting out of there but I only ended up *sniff* in the same place. I couldn't' escape! I heard my mother scream for my name and I ran after her voice. I thought I found her but she wasn't there. She started saying that I didn't love her when I did and then she said… she didn't love me *sniff*" Annali tells him her dream, tears fall down from her face and land in between them.

"From what you've told me, she was the nicest person and most loving person in the galaxy," Max reminds her of her words. Annali remembers how her mother was to her and how caring she was, "What you saw was just a nightmare, I know she would never say such things to you and so do you," Max rationalizes with her. Annali calms down after a little bit and rubs her eyes.

"I'm sorry Max, you had to see me like that. I hate it when I have these kind of dreams. I just wish I could stop dreaming those kind of things, my mother always knew how to soothe me into calming down. Kind of like… you," Annali looks up at Max, looking into his chocolate brown eyes and feeling the warmth she always felt.

"Heh, I just hope I'm not a reincarnation of your mom. But then that wouldn't make sense since we were all alive at the same ti- Mmf," Annali plants her lips on Max's, silencing him and pushing him back down on the bed. She separates from the kiss and snuggles into his shoulder and moans into it.

"Mmm, Hah, you always know how to make me feel good Max," she says as she gets comfortable on the soft warm pillow that is Max.

Max felt warmed by her words and hugged her closer despite her natural armor stabbing his chest, he didn't care as long as she was there with him.

After a few minutes of cuddling in the bed, Max decides to get up first. Annali was fast asleep again so Max had to be very careful when trying to unfurl her arms from his neck. Carefully, he lifts his head and brings his arms behind him and slowly but gently uncrosses her arms and puts them on his chest. He hugs her gently and turns to the right and lets her roll out of his arms onto the bed.

"Phew, there we go. Now for some coffee," Max reaches into his armor and pulls out a small silver canister from his utility belt, "There you are," he takes the canister and pours hot water into it, mixing with the powdered Coffee beans. He shakes it up for a few minutes and then takes the lid off and takes a sip, "Mm-Mm, lucky I snuck this on board," Max says as he takes another sip.

"You snuck contraband on this ship?" Annali pipes up, scaring the daylights out of him.

"Pfft, I thought you were asleep! Great now I wasted a good swig of Coffee," Max says annoyed.

"Maybe you should change into your underwear first before you decide to make something. What if someone came in and saw you?" she asks looking down at his crotch.

"Well that would be just as bad as me getting caught having an affair with his Senior Liaison officer," Max says taking in what was left of his morning coffee.

"Don't say 'senior', it makes me sound old," she says before plopping down on the bed and wrapping herself in the covers. Max smiles at this and decides to slip into his clothes.

"Well, I better go now; my shift starts in a few minutes and I don't want the three stooges to find me missing for most of the day," Max explains as he puts on his shirt.

"You have the rest of the day to worry about that. Remember the Captain gave us this day to kick back and relax so…" Annali kicks off the covers revealing her naked and agile figure, making Max stop what he was doing. She walks up to him and leans up close to his face, "-why not keep a girl company, yeah?" she asks as she plants her lips on his.

Max smiles at her persuasiveness and starts rubbing her back up and down making her giggle toward his gentle caresses. He moves down from her plated back to her buttock and down her thigh sending shivers down her spine.

"Oooh~ don't stop… mmm," she pleads as she nuzzles his neck. He brings her leg up to his hip and reconnects their lips once again tasting each other.

Annali brings down Max's pants again and Max takes off his shirt and lifts her up into his arms as he takes her to bed again, "I'm starting to think you only want me for my body," Max says as he lays her down and plants soft kisses down her neck to her chest.

"Mmm~ that's what I was about to say, Oh~"

After a while of teasing and caresses, the two meet eyes and consents were given to move forward.

"You know what I want, Hah~ do it," Annali tells him with a heavy exhale as she spreads her legs, revealing her treasure to him again.

"Now? Seems a bit rushing into things don't you think?" Max asks weirdly.

"I don't care just do it!" Annali tells him impatiently. Max's brows furrow but he follows her command and drives his manhood slowly into her, splitting her flesh and making her moan in pleasure, "Oooh~ that's so… heavenly," Annali says as her head falls back to the bed. Max already caught in the moment begins to thrust into her, the feeling of being back inside her giving him flashbacks of the night before. Being in the shower and doing it was the most erotic thing he had experienced up until that point. Her smooth skin under the warm water and his manhood shoved inside her proved to be an excellent combination.

" _I'm starting to think she likes sex more every time we do it. Ah what the hell, I'm not complaining,"_ Max says to himself as he continues to drive himself into Annali's pussy. Annali starts moan even louder and she wraps her arms around his neck, hugging him closely as his manhood drives into her even deeper.

"Oh~ that's so good… f-fuck… I feel s-something," she says as her breathing becomes fast paced.

"I think I know the feeling. Go ahead," Max says as he thrusts harder into her.

Annali's face feels flushed as her climax reaches its peak. It hits her hard and she loses her senses as lust takes over her brain. She bites down on his shoulder as her body releases her juices onto his crotch. Max feels her canal tighten and clamp down on him and this send him over the edge, "Oh god… here it comes…" he hugs Annali tighter and rams himself hard into her and releases his seed deep inside her.

"*gasp*… hah~" Annali feels the familiar warmth inside her, travelling up into her womb. Her eyes roll to back as the feeling of his essence inside her pleasures her to no end, "Oh that feels so good," she says as she places her hands over her belly. She looks down to see Max breathing heavily after their intercourse, "Are you tired now?" she asks with a devious smile.

"You… are… evil… I say…" Max says, breathing heavily. Annali giggles and hugs him close to her and plants a passionate kiss on his lips.

"You love me the way I am," she says happily. Max doesn't respond but mentally agrees with her.

" _I guess I do,"_ he says mentally.

 _-Later-_

After their cuddle session, Annali and Max change into their clothes and head out to meet with Cay, Ranan and Dray for some Uno. Max shuffles the card in his hands as they head up the stairs to the Engineering deck and making sure Annali doesn't get the win this time.

"*chuckle* making sure I don't win this time Maxie?" she asks giving him a smug look.

"I'm not going to lose to you again. I'm the King of Uno and I aim to re-establish my dominance over this game," Max says as he continues shuffling.

"You know you can always 'dominate' me, right?" Annali says as she gives him a seductive look.

Images fly across Max's head as he recalls the time in her quarters but quickly shakes his head to get rid of the images, catching her plan, "No, you are not going to trick me into letting you win. That's not going to work this time," Max says he looks away.

"*chuckle* doesn't hurt to try right? Come on, they're waiting for us, let's not keep them waiting!" Annali says as they enter the Rec Room.

Waiting inside are Dray, Cay and Ranan standing by the table along with Adam. Adam sees Max and Annali enter and waves for them.

"Hey guys over here!" Adam says. The three turn to see them and smile as they approach them.

"What took you guys so long? I was just about to start my own game," Ranan says.

"Sorry guys, it's just that someone was 'stalling' us from coming," Max says, looking down at Annali with her devious smile.

"Oh is that the word you're gonna use? Fine then, I guess I'll just come in and 'stall' you some more," she states as she leans in close to his face with a smug look.

The four just stare at them in awkward silence until Cay breaks it, "Alright let's play some Uno now guys I'm getting impatient. Max cut the cards," Cay tells him, bringing everyone to the table.

Max shuffles the cards once again and begins to give each person seven cards. He hands Cay, Dray, Ranan and then Annali's but stops at Adam, "You're going to play?" he asks.

"Yeah of course, why not? I have some free time today after helping run some tests with Tullvus," Adam explains. Max shrugs and hands him his set of cards and then counts his own deck.

Max joins the rest of the group and sits opposite of Annali, "What's wrong Max? Afraid I'll sneak a peek at your cards?" she asks.

"I'm not taking my chances sitting next to you so I'm going to strategically stay on this side. We'll see if you win or lose. Now let's start this! Since you won last time, you'll start us off," Max says and he places the first card from the stack on the table.

Everyone takes a look at their cards. Everyone gives a wrinkled face when they see it except Annali who just stares at her cards calmly, giving no hint she received a good or bad hand. She takes a card and places it down: a draw two card on Adam. Adam smirks and places down his own draw two to add up to four. Max quickly places his own draw two following up with Ranan's draw two along with Dray and Cay. Annali's mouth drops as she sees all the cards added up on her, a total of 12 cards.

"Looks like you have to draw Annie," Max teases as he leans back with his hands behind his head.

Annali shoots him a devious look and turns to Adam, "Hey Montero, can you keep it going?" she asks. Adam looks at her puzzlingly and nods slowly. Annali drops a draw 2 and Adam quickly follows up with his card, landing on Max who has no extra Draw two's.

"What?" Max shouts. He looks up at her with a dumbfounded face making Annali laugh along with the others.

"Heh,heh, didn't you shuffle those cards?" she asks chuckling.

"Are you serious? Ugh, why is it only me?" he asks, crossing his arms.

"Oh don't be saggy Max, we've all had our setbacks as well," Dray says, reaching over and patting Max's shoulder.

"Oh sure, like I haven't been constantly defeated by a woman before, the same one for that matter," Max says annoyed.

"*giggle* Oh Maxie, I'll make it up to you later, I promise," Annali states comfortingly.

"In what way do you say?" Max asks.

Annali's blue eyes stay on Max's, giving him a seductive look. Max gets the message and gives a quirky smile in return.

"Alright let's continue the game now! Max draw your 16 cards and let's keep 'er goin," Ranan states. Max draws his cards and shakes his head in disbelief and looks up to see Annali still staring at him with that seductive look.

" _She certainly has a way with guys huh?"_ he asks himself mentally.

The game goes on for what seems a lot longer than usual. Already having sifted through the stack of cards six times, no one can get past having one card and calling 'Uno out'. Dray had gathered a fairly large amount of cards during the game. Each time the game came close to ending with Annali being the potential winner. Ranan was on par with Max and Adam having six cards each while Cay was close to winning as well but only to draw more cards with Dray's Draw 4 card.

"Oh come on! Why do you put that down now?" Cay asks angrily.

"I don't have a yellow or a 6 so I had to go with that. Now draw!" Dray tells him.

"*mumbles* there, done! Now you've screwed us all up because Annali only has one card left and no one knows her color or card!" Cay points out. Dray places his hands on his head realizing the reality of the situation. Annali smiles smugly at Dray.

"Better choose wisely Dray. Do I have a yellow or a blue? Or maybe a red or Green. Who knows?" Annali teases him.

The table falls silent as Dray prepares to make his choice, "*sigh* I pick… green," Dray decides.

Everyone looks at Annali, unsure whether Dray made the right choice or ultimately screwed them all. Annali looks up from her last card and opens her mouth to speak.

" _ ***tzzk* Liaison Officer Veren, your presence on the bridge is requested immediately! *tzzk*"**_ the speakers go off. Annali looks down at her card and then back up at the group.

"Sorry boys but duty calls. Looks like we won't find out who wins, eh?" Annali says as she gets up from the table.

"Can you at least show us your card?" Cay asks. Annali shows them the backside of the card with the game name but not the front side.

"There you go. Happy now? I'll be back in a few," she says before giving Max another mysterious but seductive look, "Especially you," she says before walking through the doors.

The group looks straight at Max, wondering what she meant by that, "Is there something going on that I'm not aware of?" Cay asks.

"Uuuuuhhmmmm no… nope. Nothing going on," Max sys quickly. Everyone face remains unconvinced, "What?"

Everyone looks at each other then back at him, "Are you… with the Liaison Officer?" Dray asks. Max's mouth opens to try and come up with an excuse but nothing comes out, "Wow… just wow!" Dray simply.

"Guys it's not like that!" Max follows up.

"Oh really, then what is it?" Dray asks, stumping Max again.

"Listen Max, we're not mad or anything. At least I hope none of us are mad," Dray says looking at Ranan and Cay.

"I'm not. I got better things to do than pursue a relationship," Cay says crossing his arms.

"All I can say is way to go Max. You snagged the hardest one of the bunch or should I put it, she did," Ranan says.

"What do you mean 'she did'?" Max asks.

"I know that look she gave you. I know because all Turian women do that when they've found a 'partner' for them. It's their way of saying 'You are mine'," Ranan explains.

"So you have a wife?" Max asks.

"Why else would I be telling you this stuff?"

Max looks at Adam who is just sitting there just listening in on the conversation, "You better not tell anyone about this," Max threatens.

"Why? I didn't hear a thing," Adam says as he looks down at his cards. Max smiles toward his friends understanding and looks to the group, "If word gets around saying we're together I'm not sure how my- or your government will react to this," Max explains his concerns.

"Well, all I can say is I don't know what will happen but it's best if you keep it a secret. Especially with Ja'quar up on his feet now. I hear he's already recovered from his injuries and they're saying that he's going to give a certain 'someone' what's coming to them. So there's that," Ranan explains as he flops his cards out on the table, "We have to go now, our shift starts in 2 minutes and I believe you should join us as well Max. We've had Cay pick up your slack the entire time you were on your fieldtrip with Annali,"Ranan explains.

"The Captain gave me this day to relax and take a break after the firefight I just had with Cerberus," Max states.

"Did she give you an Order Code?" Ranan asks.

"Umm, no"

"Then I can't tell if you're making it up unless Annali or the Captain tells me otherwise. Now come on, we've got work to do," Ranan says as he, Dray, and Caylio walk out the room.

"Max, umm, if you're having this relationship with the Liaison Officer then I highly suggest you speak to Tullvus for some more in depth advice on this," Adam suggests.

"Why? What else is there to them?" Max asks, some fear in his voice.

"Well, from what he's told me, female Turians: when they find a partner they will start showing some signs of, how should I say this, 'aggressive affection' I guess you could say. When they start making it clear in public towards people that no one else can have their partner but them," Adam explains.

Max takes the information into account and lets it sink in, "I think I follow you but I'm not entirely sure," Max states as he gathers everyone's cards.

"Which is why you should talk to Tullvus about this because I don't fully understand Turian behavior either. And I thought we were the most complicated species in the galaxy. I have to go now, I'll be in Medbay in case you want to talk to him or me. Later amigo," Adam says as he gets up and leaves.

Max gathers all the cards except Annali's card. He puts them all together and wraps the rubber band around them and stuffs it into his pocket. Exiting the Rec Room he wonders what else he doesn't know about Annali. If there's more to it than just the occasional get together and go rowdy relationship, then he has more to worry about than having to deal with Ja'quar again.

 **Bridge- PFS Trianis**

As the elevator carries Annali up, she places her hand on her belly and feels the warmth of Max's essence, tilting her head back onto the wall in pleasure of it. She knew Max was the one for her and she knew the group had gotten her very obvious signals that she and Max were together. They were probably already chewing out Max for being with her but not in a bad way. She knew the Engineers too well to know that they are very understanding when it came to relationships.

" _If those three discourage him from me I swear they will pay for it,"_ Annali tells herself but no worry comes to thought. Only that she loved Max and she had found the one for her.

Annali steps out of the elevator into the, as always, busy bridge. The Captain is at the front looking out of the window and down at the Planet. The unmistakable beauty of it can always catch the eyes of any person, especially veteran explorers. Caepraka notices Annali and turns to her.

"Good Morning Captain!" Annali salutes.

"Morning Officer, sorry to call you up on your day off but I need your duties for today," Caepraka states.

"And what would that be Captain?"

"I'm exchanging one of our engineers for one of the Kilimanjaro's," she tells her.

"Another Human?"

"Yes, I am exchanging Caylio Albucius for one of their Tech Specialist's. I believe you've met him down on Chasca during the mission…" the elevator doors open behind Annali and she turns to see the new rookie she will be settling in, "This is Corporal Chance if you don't remember," she clarifies.

"Yes, I do remember him. You explained the Cerberus Raid plan didn't you?" Annali recalls.

"Ah yes Officer, I did. I was very nervous because it was my first time in actual combat," he explains.

"We all have our first times, eventually we experience them first hand," Annali states.

"No doubt about that Liaison, heh," Chance chuckles.

"I know I can trust you with him Veren. Make sure he doesn't fight with that ass clown, Ja'quar," she tells Annali directly.

"Aye Captain, it won't happen with him. I promise!" Annali states and she motions for Chance to follow her.

"Wait, fight who? What is she talking about?" Chance starts asking nervously.

"Oh it's nothing to be worried about really. You'll be fine," Annali assures him.

Annali and Chance walk into the elevator and stand opposite of each other, with Annali by the console and Chance opposite of her. Annali presses engineering deck and the elevator descends down. As the elevator floats down, Annali takes the time to take a look at her new problem for the coming months. Chance was smaller compared to Max in height. In fact she was at least 3 or 4 inches taller than him. His body wasn't as muscularly built as Max but they were defined and built to fit for his size. If he and Max were to go against each other, she had her bets on Max indefinitely. His hair was lighter than Max's dark brown. His hair was brown, however, the tint was more hazel. It was trimmed on the side while the top was left to be longer but short enough to be considered short. It was neatly combed to the right and it looked very solid. Could it be? Annali decided maybe she would learn more about him if she asked some question about him. You know for fun.

"So, what is your full name?" she asks first.

"Robert Chance, mam!" he answers.

"I noticed back then you had an accent. One I haven't heard amongst other humans," Annali points out.

"It is Finnish, well sort of. Depending on how someone hears it. Many hear it as heavy Scottish accent when in fact my accent is Finnish. I just have a weird way of pronouncing the English version of Finnish," Chance explains.

"Ah, interesting! There is another human here, I hope you know, whom I don't think has an accent. His tone is very, how should I say it?"

"Monotone?"

"No not that, it's hard to describe it! Perhaps you can tell me since you are human. Your species has many cultures I hear and maybe you can tell me what his is."

"Heh, I'll try!"

The doors open to Engineering and the two step out into the busy hallway. Chance stayed close behind Annali as she led them through the hallways and up a small staircase and then into another hallway. At the end of the hallway was an intersection; straight forward was another hallway leading down to the Gym and Rec Room, to the right was the rest of Engineering's crew, and to the left was the Engine Room itself.

"Here we are Corporal! This is Engineering here!" Annali points out, "I'll introduce you to the crew, I believe you'll find them to be very… hospitable…" Annali trails off when she sees a disgusting face emerge from Engineering's crews' quarters. Ja'quar. He had a medical brace attached to the left side of his face; to hold it together after what Max had done to him. He looked madder than before and his eyes were blazing with fury saying he wanted revenge and he was out seeking for Max, "Umm, let's go now! I'm on a tight schedule so we might have to hurry up!" Annali tells him quickly as she pushes him into the Engine room. She closes the door behind them and locks it in case he decides to walk in, "Phew, anyway, let me introduce you to the team you'll be working with. Follow me," she orders. They circle around the Eezo core to Dray and Ranan's station, "This is Dray Epididas and this is Ranan Wenthesi!" she states. They turn around to see Annali with a human behind her and awkwardly tilt their heads in curiousness.

"Is this the guy replacing Cay? He looks rather… small-ish," Ranan asks.

"Hey I'm an average 5 foot 11! I am no shortie," Chance reputes before Annali blocks him with her arm.

"Quiet you two! You will get along with Chance as you have with Max and Montero. If you happen to have any problems with that I will drag you of this ship and place you in front of the ships Main gun! I'm sure you have the mental capacity to imagine what comes after?" Annali threatens Ranan with a hard tone to her voice.

"Y-yes sir," Ranan quickly answers.

"Now, I want you to get Corporal Chance accustomed to his new duties here and give him a tour of the Trianis so he doesn't get lost as well as getting him settled in his new quarters," Annali orders.

"Yes mam," Ranan replies and he motions for Chance to follow him.

As they leave, Annali turns to Dray, "Where's Max? Is he in his quarters?" she asks.

"Yes, he's doing some calibrations with the Core's potential power output so I think it's best if you leave him alone for…" he trails off when Annali gives him a scary/annoyed look, "Or drop by and say hi if you want… I got stuff to do so I'll leave you at that," Dray says quickly and types away at his console. Annali smiles and stealthily walks through his door ever so slowly. She keeps her breathing slow and her movements slower so to not give a hint of uneasiness in the air. She tip toes up behind Max and raises her arms to jump scare him.

Just as she's about to howl, Max's ear twitches and he spins so quick he catches Annali off guard, "Boo!"

"Whaa- AAAHH!" Annali screams as Max picks her up onto his shoulders and bouncers her up, "Aah-Aah-Aah- Ma-Aax-x- s-sto-Oop- pl-leEAse!" Max drops her onto his bed and leaves the both of them laughing and gasping for air.

"Number one thing when sneaking up on me: you can scare anyone else but me!" Max says tickles Annali's sides, making her laugh hard.

"Oh NO, please stop! I'm NOT good when it comes to tickling!" she pleads with him all the more fueling his need to tickle her more.

"Say the magic words and I'll let you go"

"Okay, okay, I'm SORRYYYY! Please STOP! Hahahaheh!" Annali screams before Max lets her go. Her lungs trying to catch air before her brain passes out, "Oh my goodness, Hah, I haven't laughed that hard in years," she states.

"When you want a good laugh you come to me! I specialize in morality boosts and relaxation," Max adds in.

"Are you a certified doctor?" Annali asks, still lying down on his bed.

"No PhD, but I'm certified in the eyes of others which should make me a Professional in this field"

"Pshh, that's what you meant when you said you were the Kind of Uno!" Annali tells him making his mouth drop and she bursts out laughing.

"Woooow, that was harsh! Not cool man," Max puts his hands up giving the look that he's about to tickle her again.

Annali's eyes widen when she sees this, "Nononono, please I'm sorry, I take it back! Please don't do that again!" Annali pleads as she tries to get away from him but gets cornered.

"Oh don't be afraid, this one's on the hou-"

 ***Officer Veren, you are needed at the bridge immediately!***

"Hah, saved by the Captain. Looks like you won't be getting me this time!" Annali states with a smirk.

"Oh you'll get it one day my dear, mark my words. Now go see what the Captain wants, I'll be here waiting."

"If I'm coming back for another one then consider me in my quarters for the rest of the day!"

"Alright, alright, I won't do it then. We'll just… talk then," Max says.

"Alright then, we'll 'talk'. I'll be back in a few!" Annali gives him a quick kiss and leaves the room.

"*chuckle* yep, she'll be getting it soon"

 _-Later on the bridge-_

Annali arrives at the bridge to see it with so many more people running from one place to the other. They seem… spooked. Caepraka is at the front talking to one of the crewman until she sees Annali and dismisses him, "Annali, I hope you made our new Engineer comfortable in his new environment?"

"Of course Captain! He fit right in along with Engineer Tereshkova," Annali reports proudly.

"That's good… very good," Caepraka says it not very enthusiastically which raises suspicion.

"Is there something wrong Captain?" she asks.

The Captain looks behind her out the window and then motions for her to join her up with her. Annali walks up beside her and stares out the window into the dark abyss with only the planet and the stars to give the scene some life. Annali looks to her left aside from Caepraka and sees the Victrition but no Kilimanjaro, "Um, Captain, where is the Alliance vessel?" she asks.

Caepraka looks at her and she points out the window, "Do you see that white smidge over there in the distance?" she asks. Annali tries to locate it but doesn't seem to see it until she squints her eyes before she sees an oddly shaped structure in the distance.

"Yes I see it! What about it?" she asks curiously.

"We aren't sure but Captain Colt believes it to be a Cerberus structure of some sort and that seems to have spooked him," Caepraka explains.

"Spooked him? What could be so dangerous that it spooked him?" she asks, wanting to know more for the Captain's disappearance.

"We talked about it along with Captain Linnius of the Victrition on the Comm and we settled on the decision where the Kilimanjaro would circle around it, out of radar's view, while we approach it," she explains further.

Annali's brow plates furrow in confusion, "Why are we the ones taking the lead? This is their mission, shouldn't they be investigating it?" Annali asks, considering the Dreadnought has the capability to hold its own in a battle if it came to it.

"Yes this is their mission but I actually have to agree with Captain Colt for having us as the front line."

"Before I say we're acting as Guinea pigs, why are we taking point?" Annali asks. Caepraka gives her a look of pure discipline, "Sorry, I'm just curious," Annali tries to explain herself.

"If Cerberus knew there was an Alliance vessel in the system they would either launch an all-out assault against us or they would pack up and leave the planet before we can even find out what they are up to. And right now, we need to know what they are up to! Does that clarify enough?" Annali doesn't say anything but quickly nod in response, not wanting to frustrate her any further.

"Good"

"Excuse me mam?! You have to see this," one of the radiomen states.

"What is it?" Caepraka joins the Turian at the console, leaving Annali on the bridge to look at the weird structure.

She takes a closer look to see something separating or flying out of the structure, " _What the hell?_ " she squints more to get a clearer look at it but it seems to be on some sort of course. The object suddenly remains still until it becomes clearer and clearer; the object now taking the shape of a-

"Is… is that a torpedo?"

Caepraka looks away from the console and looks through window. Her eyes widen in fear to see the object take the shape of a massive warhead.

"RAISE THE SHIELDS NOW!" she orders suddenly. One of the Crewmen flip a latch and slam his hand onto the button.

*BOOM*

The ships barriers turn on just in time to block the warhead from making contact with the hull. The ship shakes violently due to the sheer force of the missile.

"SHIT! SOUND THE ALARM! ALL CREW TO THEIR STATIONS, THIS IS CODE RED! GET ME THE KILIMANJARO!"

"Unable to sir! The structure is jamming our comms with both the Kilimanjaro and the Victrition! Our lips are stitched! The structure is out of our ships weapons range!" the radioman states.

"Damn! Veren, get down to Engineering and get that Engineer of yours to pump some more juice into those shields! We need to get close to that structure to return fire but we can't do that if we if we sustain too much damage!" Caepraka orders. The ship rumbles as incoming fire collides with the shield.

"Yes mam!" Annali shouts and runs toward the elevator. She slams the console for Engineering. the doors close and quickly drop down to Engineering. She steps out to meet multiple crew members running around trying to get to their stations. She darts out of the elevator and sprints for the Engine Room with all of her might. She was nervous if Max got hurt by the surprise attack.

*BOOM*

 ***BWOONNGG* *BWOONNGG***

 ***ALL PERSONNEL TO THEIR STATIONS! WE ARE UNDER ATTACK!***

*BOOM*

 ***CRAP! CERBERUS CRUISERS JUST APPEARED OUT OF NOWHERE!***

*BOOM*

Annali runs into engineering and up to Ranan, "We need to give the ships shields more power! Those missiles are going to tear us apart!"

"Max is already on it! I'm helping stabilize the core from exploding with the insane amount of energy he's sending to the shields!" Ranan quickly explains.

"And Corporal Chance?"

"He's helping Ranan keep the conduits stable as well! I can't talk right now Veren I'm seriously busy at the moment!"

"Okay I'll leave you be. Just keep it up, I don't know when we're going to get out of this or how!" she states and turns to Max's room. The door slides open to reveal Max at his console and trying to keep up with all the pressure that's on him, "Max, are you okay?" she asks.

"Yeah I'm alright! I'm giving the shields everything I can give it but whatever's hitting us is really affecting my ability to even keep the ship on. What the hell is going on out there? Where's the Kilimanjaro?" Max asks not looking away from the console.

"They left to scout a 'potential' danger to us and-"

*BOOM*

"-and then the 'danger' started firing on us!"

"I guess that rules out it being friendly."

*BOOM*

"Damn, can't we signal to the Kilimanjaro for help?" Max asks frustrated.

"They're jamming our comms so we can't communicate with them. They have no idea we're under attack!" Annali explains.

"Wait a minute, if they're blocking our comms then it must be a very complex tech issue with the Quantum entanglement array!"

*BOOM*

"-I think Chance knows how to bypass their firewall and get us talking to the Kilimanjaro again," Max states turning to look at Annali, "You have to get him to your communications room or else without the Kilimanjaro we're screwed!" Max explains before turning back to the console, "Go!"

"Alright!" Annali darts out the room and runs to Ranan, "Ranan, where's Corporal Chance?" she asks.

"He's just down below with Dray. I'll let them know you're coming!" Ranan says as he continues typing away at his console.

Annali nods and runs out of Engineering towards the flight of stairs. She jumps the railing and lands down at the lowest deck. She hisses in pain as her feet ache from the landing, " _That was stupid!"_ she tells herself and she walks carefully down the hallway. Her Omni-tool flashes orange and she flips it up to see Dray's face, "Dray, where are you? Where's Chance?" she asks.

"Chance is here with me! Keep following the hallway and you'll see us at the end! What did you need?" he asks.

"I need Chance at Communications to reestablish links with the Victrition and Kilimanjaro! Send him over!" she states as she makes her way through the hallway.

"I can't let him go; I need his help with this repa-"

"Dray Epididas, I need you to send Corporal Chance to Communications immediately or else we're all going to die!" Annali orders angrily.

Dray's mouth remains open but he doesn't say anything so instead he nods, "Chance, go to communications, I'll take over from here!" Dray says, "He's going over to you now. However, I need your help Annali, I can't do this alone," Dray says.

"Fine, I'll be there in a sec. Veren out!" she switches off the Omni-tool and continues on her way. The ship shakes violently again, making Annali stumble and her ankle flare in pain, "Gah, why did I jump over the railing?" she asks herself. Steps can be heard approaching from around the corner and that's when Chance appears.

"Mam, are you alright?" he asks concerned.

"I'm fine Chance, just get to communications and get us back up and quick!" she orders him.

"Aye sir!" he salutes and runs through the corridor towards the stairs.

Annali carefully hops on one foot towards Dray's location, trusting his directions of following the hallway. The ship creaks and groans with each direct hit to the ship, putting up a debate whether the shields will hold long enough for the Kilimanjaro.

" _Max better hold it! I trust him,"_ Annali tells herself.

*BOOM*

"DRAY! YOU THERE!"

*cling*

"Over here Annie!" Dray shouts back. She sees a small vent from where his legs are poking out and she crouches down to see him untangling a wide variety of wires of different colors.

"What did you need help with?" she asks.

"Sync your Omni-tool to this access point will ya? Tell me when you got it," Dray instructs her.

Annali opens up the program and syncs her Omni-tool to the point, "Alright, there. Now what?" she asks.

"There's going to be an error message every now and then so when that happens you tell me immediately," Dray instructs.

"What if I don't tell you in time?" she asks.

"Then no power will come from the core which means no shields and then we die. Now tell me when the error message pops up," Dray explains and starts to work on the wires.

A few seconds pass by before the error message pops up suddenly, "Error!" she states quickly.

Dray quickly replaces the wire he was on and the message on Annali's Omni-tool switches to stable, "It says it's stable Dray!" she states.

"Okay good, moving on! Just need to replace three more and that's it! With everything Max is doing, it's really putting a strain on the power conductors from processing this much power. It's insane!"

"Just hurry up!"

"Alright, alright!"

Meanwhile, Chance runs up flights of stairs through each deck to get to the communications room. The elevators were out of service for the time being what with the danger of power disappearing at some point.

*BOOM*

The ship rocks violently causing Chance to stumble on the stairs and almost bang his head on the edge of the step, "Gah, I always hated staircases," Chance grunts. Continuing up the stairs, he finds himself in the bridge. He looks around for the Communications room but to no avail he finds himself lost.

Caepraka notices Chance looking around with a confused expression and she becomes suspicious, "Corporal, what are you doing here? You should be down in Engineering."

"I-I know sir- I mean Mam- Captain, yes. Annali sent me to try and bypass the Communications Jammer. I think I can get a message out to the Kilimanjaro and alert them," Chance explains.

Caepraka's eyes narrow down on Chance, "Can you do that?" she asks.

"I'm certain of it. If this is Cerberus then I can bypass their jammer with relative ease," Chance states with a determined expression.

Caepraka looks him over again and nods then points toward a Turian sitting on the other side of the bridge, "Private Kinnilius!" she gets his attention, "You are relieved of your station in place of Corporal Chance!" she orders. The Turian stands and salutes then leaves his station. Caepraka looks at Chance and waves a hand toward it, "Hurry, we don't have a lot of time," she states.

"Yes Captain!" Chance jumps into the seat, while Caepraka stoops just over him, and begins opening up the firewall, "Well now…" Chance mumbles interestingly.

"What is it?"

"It seems they are using the most advanced method of Jammer programming. This wasn't supposed to be implemented into the Alliance Tech Division until far later in the future," Chance explains.

"So can you bypass it?"

"…"

"Chance?"

"I… do think… this is possible. This may take a little while regardless I haven't seen this type of coding," he explains.

"I heard you were the best in this field"

"We're talking about Quantum Entanglement taken three steps further. I am good but I can only do so much Captain," Chance explains. He snaps his neck and cracks his knuckles then rolls his shoulders, "Alright… let's see what I can do."

*BOOM*

"Make it fast!"

"Don't worry about it!"

 _-Meanwhile in Engineering-_

"You know Max, I think I'm actually starting to see you as my role model!" Ranan shouts.

"Stay focused, you have no idea how hard this is for me right-"

The lights flicker rapidly as the sound of the core powering down sounds off.

"-now. Ah shit, RANAN, come with me!" Max runs out from his station and waves for Ranan to follow him.

"Where are we going?" Ranan asks confused. Max flips up his Omni-tool and interfaces with the ships Mainframe.

"I gotta get to the bridge and I need you to help me out with something," Max vaguely explains.

"What are we going to do?"

"This plan will either fail us or save us but it should work depending if we get there in time," Max explains as they exit the Engine room.

"What do you mean 'in time'?" Ranan asks again now nervous of the situation.

"Well, uh, I may have turned the core into an Eezo bomb," Max states embarrassingly.

"You WHAT?"

"Just help me with this, okay! It can be reversed I just need a way to divert the energy-build up from the shields cause it turns out your shields can only be so strong to the point of a ship-wide blackout due to overuse of power," Max explains as they run up the stairs.

"You know you could have talked to me about it besides going all out on your ideas."

"It doesn't matter at this point. What matters is I get there and you guide me through the ships wiring, okay?" Max states and continues up the steps to the bridge.

 _-Bottom deck-_

"Why are all the lights flickering?" Annali asks curiously.

"I don't know, I'm not getting another power surge. It looks like the core is taking energy from the ship. What is Max doing? Max what are you doing?" Dray speaks into the comms.

There's radio silence until Max's voice responds, **"Uh, nothing, nothing bad at all! Just, uh… nothing,"** Max vaguely states. Annali and Dray look at each other, both sensing something is up.

"Max, you tell me right now what you are doing! Why are the lights going on and off?" Annali asks demandingly.

" **Uh… I'll… tell you in a bit, gotta go, bye-"**

"Max wait-"

 ***tzzk***

"Damn it! He's doing something reckless and I'm going to find out what it is," Annali gets up from the vent.

"I'm sure he has it under con-"

*VEEEEeeooommm*

The power cuts out then comes back again, "Yeah let's check up on him," Dray finishes with the wiring and closes the vent shaft, "Alrigth let's go," Dray says as he begins to run. Annali thrusts herself forward to catch up but the pain in her ankle stabs her out of nowhere.

"Grrh, damn it!"

"What's wrong?" Dray stops just before turning the corner and runs back to see what's wrong.

Annali sits down and brings her foot up gently; the area around where her ankle would have been looked a bit swollen, "That's going to be a problem."

"What did you do, jump off an entire staircase?" Dray looks at Annali and notices her stiffen up, "You jumped off the staircase, didn't you?" he asks.

"Well It didn't look that high to be honest," Annali whines as Dray helps her up. He slings her arm around his neck and slowly the two make their way towards the staircase.

"Let's just hope Max doesn't do anything stupid now," Dray states.

"I trust Max knows what he's doing. He wouldn't go this far as to put the lives of the entire crew in danger," Annali vouches for him.

"Are you sure he's not with them?" Dray asks but immediately regrets his sentence.

"What are you saying, that he's with Cerberus?! We've known him for more than a week and he hasn't tried anything to put us in danger. All the better, he's helped us greatly from what I hear coming from the Engineers. _And me,"_ Annali mentions the last part in her head.

"Sorry Annali, it's just that he is smart but he seems to be a bit reckless when it comes to pressure and I've noticed he's been acting weird a lot. He's my friend too but I have my suspicions on everyone like Cay," Dray explains as nicely as he could.

"We all have some suspicion for everyone but it doesn't mean it's true. And why are you having second thoughts about Max?" Annali asks curiously.

"I don't know, he just seems to know a lot more than what I or any of the other Engineers know. Whatever, let's just get you to Med-bay for now," Dray states and then Annali stops, stopping him as well, "What?"

"I'm going to Engineering and you're taking me there. My foot can wait," Annali orders him. Without question, Dray listens to her and the two walks towards Engineering.

 _-On the bridge-_

Chance continues work on the firewall with little difficulty despite it being the most advanced coding known to man or the Galaxy.

"How are you doing on it?" Caepraka asks.

"I've nearly bypassed their code Captain, all I need are just a few moments without interruption and I'll be able to send out an SOS to the Kilimanjaro," Chance states. But his request comes too early as the screen flickers on and off then ultimately dies in front of him, "What the- what just happened?"

"Captain, power outages are happening all across the ship. Our shields won't last long now without a constant flow of power to them!" one of the crewmen announce.

"What? Tereshkova what's going on down there?" at that moment Max and Ranan walk through the door.

"Core is pulling energy from everywhere. If too much gathers it might be too much for it to handle," Max states quickly and he looks around at the floor, "Where is it you said?"

"Right here," Ranan takes off the grate from the floor and Max peers in.

"Wait, what do you mean the Core is sucking energy away from the ship? What's going to happen?" Caepraka asks.

"Uh, if the core continues to hold more energy it may redistribute it, you might say, rather violently," Max explains but tries to put it as vaguely as possible.

"You mean it's going to blow up?!" Caepraka interprets easily.

"Hold on, I need to re-route power from there to here and that should give control to the bridge," Max states. Some buzzing and sizzles can be heard until Max emerges from the floor again, "There we go, is the screen back on?"

Chance looks at it but it only flickers, "No," he says as he bangs on the keyboard, trying to get it to work.

"What? That should have worked!" Max is left stumped until an idea quickly reaches his mind, "I got it!" Max gets out from the floor, runs to Chance's console and breaks open the metal side of it. He reaches peeks inside and twists a few wires together in which the screen comes to life, "Try it now! Hurry, I can only keep it on for so long," Max says quickly.

"R-right! Starting bypass!" a small bar appears on the left side; quickly shooting to 25% to 57% then 78%, "Almost there… just a little…"

The screen reads: ***BYPASS COMPLETE***

"I GOT IT! YES! It worked!" Chance states enthusiastically.

"Great, now send that SOS!" Max shouts as he twists some more wires together. Chance types in the code and sends it just as the screen short-circuits and dies, "Gah, fuck," Max yelps as sparks fly from the wires and he quickly puts them back where they came from.

The shields flicker with a blue aura and then die out, "Tereshkova what about the shields?!" Caepraka asks frightfully.

"The what? Oh yeah, forgot about that! Oops!"

"Captain, their aiming their main gun at us!" one of the crewmen states. Everyone looks out of the window to see the end of the barrel start to glow blue and yellow from both cruisers.

 ***This is the Victrition, we are going to try and shield you!***

"There's not enough time for them to get in front of us or for us to move out of the way! Ranan, get on a console and vent the Engine room! If we can't divert the power to the engines then we can get rid of the excess from blowing up the core!" Caepraka orders.

"I'll try!" he says. He gets on the console and accesses the Engine room's mainframe. He prepares to vent the room but stumbles upon a problem, "Uh oh!"

"What now?"

"Even if I start the procedure, it will take a while before power returns to the Engines!"

Caepraka's eyes widen in terror and she stares back out towards the main gun of the cruiser, "Oh come on!"

…

 ***Did someone call for backup?!***

Colt's voice sounds over the speaker and at that moment the Massive Dreadnought exits from FTL.

"Get in between the cruisers, block their line of fire!" Colt orders. The Dreadnought flies in at full speed and gets in front of the Trianis. The Cerberus cruiser fires its main gun and hits the Kilimanjaro, enveloping it in a bright light and blinding everyone.

The light disappears and the Kilimanjaro stands strong, not even the shields were broken, "Kilimanjaro port-side, all batteries open fire!" The Kilimanjaro's left side lights up with tons of weapons fire, raining hell on the Cerberus cruisers. The first Cruiser falls easily with a direct shot at the bridge while the second Cruiser falls apart from the massive firepower of the Kilimanjaro, "All batteries, cease fire!" Colt orders. The left side falls silent suddenly only with the creaking and groaning of the Cruisers dying as background noise.

The bridge erupts in cheers and hollers in thanks for the wishful timing of the Kilimanjaro's arrival.

 ***I hope I wasn't too late Captain!***

"Heh, no, you came in just in time!" Caepraka breathes a sigh of relief.

 ***We're detecting a dangerously high amount of Eezo within your Core! You might want to check that now!***

Colt states, reminding Caepraka of the problem, "Wait, didn't you say you started the ventilation procedure?" she asks, turning to Max and Ranan.

"I did mam!" Ranan states.

"Did you check for anyone in the room?" she asks. Ranan stares blankly then looks down at the screen.

"No I didn't mam. Let me check… OOOH NO!" Ranan shouts in horror.

"What?" Max asks.

"Annali and Dray are in the Enigne Room! And I just started the procedure! W-We HAVE to get down there NOW!" Ranan states as he jumps out of his seat and towards the door.

Max's eyes widen fearfully and he sprints after him.

"TERESHKOVA, WENTHESI, WAIT! Ugh, guards; go make sure they get them out of there safely!" Caepraka orders. The four guards nod and follow suit after them. Chance gets out of his seat before getting blocked by Caepraka, "Where do you think you're going?" she asks.

"I gotta help Tereshkova mam. I can help him," Chance says.

"What makes you think you can help?" she asks.

"I can do more than sit behind a screen," Chance gives her a confident smile and he runs after them.

Caepraka looks at him with concerned expression, "I guess it's a thing for Humans to go after trouble," she tells herself.

[

"Annali! ANNALI! Can you hear me?!" Max shouts into the comms but all there is only static, "Damn it!"

"I think it's the interference of the core that's screwing with the signal!" Ranan suggests.

"That's not going to stop me from getting to her!" Max says determined. He starts doing something with his Omni-tool band, some sparks flying from it, and then he reactivates, "Let's see if this works."

 _-Engine Room-_

"Where are they? Shouldn't they still be here?" Annali wonders. Dray peeks into their quarters but finds nothing.

"No one's here Annie. Perhaps they're at the Bridge," Dray suggests.

"They would've given us a heads up if they were going somewhere- Hold on," her wrist begins to flash orange, signaling a call. She answers it and sees Max's face and he looks like he's running, "Max? Where are you? Where were y-"

" **Annali, you have to get out of there now! You're in serious danger!"** Max shouts to her.

"In danger? What are you talking about?"

 ***Engine Room Ventilation Procedure Initiated! Clear the area!***

"Uh Max?"

" **GET OUT OF THERE NOW!"**

Alarms start going off and red lights light up the room beside the euphoric blue Core. Dray runs up behind Annali and slings her arm around his neck, "We got to get out of here! We're about to get spaced!" Besides heading for the exit, Dray leads them to his quarters.

"Why are we going in there?" she asks confused.

"The doors are going to be locked to protect everything inside from getting sucked out! We'll be safe in-"

*SHOOM*-

The door closes right in front of them before they could even make it, "So much for your idea!" Annali states angrily.

"Damn, we got to hurry for the exit! Hopefully we're not too late!" Dray says hopefully. Annali tries to pick up the pace by jumping quickly on one foot while Dray gives her the long strides she needs to keep up. They make it around the core and see the hallway leading out from the room, "There it is! We're almost there Annali!" Dray says. They pick up the pace more but then the door starts to close, "Shit! Come on, we can make it!" Dray says as they near the exit.

Annali takes another jump with her good foot and her talons jab into the metal holes in the floor, "AH, Dray wait!" Annali slips out of Dray's arms and she aligns her leg with her foot to prevent it from dislocating.

"What is it?" Dray looks back at Annali and sees her foot jabbed into the floor. He runs up to her and assesses it, "Well it's not broken but it is stuck *grunt* and stuck good," Dray states.

"Well help me get it out!" she pleads as she tries to pull it out herself.

Dray tries to pull on it gently but Annali yelps in pain, "I don't know how to get it out!" he looks toward the door and sees it past halfway closed, "It getting close to locking us in!" Dray considers his options: he could stay with Annali and try to free her or save himself.

"Dray… what are you thinking?" Annali gives a concerned look at him. Dray looks at her but he shakes his head and continues to try and pull her out.

"I'm thinking that we are going to get out of here," Dray says as he tries to pull her out hurriedly but it only brings more pain to her.

"Ngh, it's no use! You have to get out of here Dray!" Annali tells him but he continues to try and pull her out.

 ***Ventilation Procedure will begin in T-minus 36 seconds!***

"No! Come on, we'll make it out!" Dray puts more force but Annali's suppressed cries of pain make him stop every time he thinks it's almost free.

"S-stop Dray. It's no use," Annali says breathing heavily, "You have to go!" she orders him but he stays put.

"I can't do that Veren, I can't leave a friend behind! No way," Dray says.

 ***T-minus 25 seconds!***

"Now's not the time to argue Dray, you have time to save yourself!" Annali reasons with him.

"Stop trying to kick me out and start trying to get your foot out! We have time!"

 ***15 seconds! ***

"Or not."

The door is nearly closed until an idea pops into his mind, "Hold on I'll be right back," Dray says as he runs into the engine room.

"Where are you going?" she asks. Dray disappears and the sound of glass breaking can be heard from the distance. He comes back with a large pipe with a ball point end at the tip, "What is that?" she asks.

"Your salvation. Watch out!" Dray jabs the end into the metal grate just next to Annali's foot and he pulls down on the metal rod. The grate begins to creak and bend, pulling the tapered ends away from her skin, "Almost… there… Grrh!"

 ***8 seconds! ***

"The door!" Annali shouts. Dray looks behind him to see the door already about to close.

"GRRH, COME ON!"

 ***5***

"IT'S NOT BUDGING!"

 ***4***

"GRRGH!"

 ***3***

 ***2***

"NO!"

 ***1***

*creak*

 ***Ventilation Procedure Halted!***

The two look back at the door to see two pairs of hands gripping onto the side of the door, keeping it from closing all the way, "Annali, you in there?!" Max's head appears from the window of the door, frantically trying to find her through it.

"*sigh* thank the spirits you arrived in time Tereshkova," Annali says with a heavy sigh of relief.

"I couldn't just *grunt* stand there and watch you float out into space. We're going to get you *grunt* out of there!" Max says with struggling tone.

"We're going to try and pull the door open wide enough for you two slip through okay?!" Dray states. Soon, the guards join in and hook their hands on the edge of the door, providing extra muscle.

"On the count of three, one of you will jump through the tight opening an then-"

"Wait Max, Annali can't get through!" Dray says quickly cutting off Max.

"What do you mean she can't?" Max asks.

"I can't move Max, my foot is wedged into the metal grate, it's stuck!" Annali states in a pained tone.

"What? Dray can you free her?" Max asks.

"I can do it but it'll take a while. I need another person to help me out to make things go faster!" Dray says as he grabs the metal pole.

 ***Core stability: Critical! Overriding protocol! Core Ventilation will start in 30 seconds!***

"-another person would be helpful right about now!" Dray shouts.

"Damn. Guys, can you hold the door for me to get in there and help them?" Max asks.

"GO, HURRY!" Ranan tells him. Max lets go of the door but the door begins to close and he grabs onto it again, keeping it in place, "Damn, we need you here helping us hold the door. Someone else has to go in there!"

"Here let me go in!" A voice pipes up from behind them. Everyone takes a quick look behind them to see Chance running up to them, "I'm small enough to slip in!"

"If you say you can then go, we'll hold the door for you! Make it quick, we don't have much time!" Max tells him. He looks at the Turians helping him hold the door and he nods to them, they in turn nod to him and pull the door even wider with a loud groan, "Now go!" Max orders.

Chance slips in headfirst, using his arms to pull himself through the tight space, and then steps his legs inside. Dray waves him over as he continues to try and stretch the grate, "Here, you pull on the rod while I try and pull her foot out, got me?" Dray instructs. Chance takes the rod and he pulls with all his might, bending the metal wider. Dray carefully pulls on her leg while she pulls up, taking the pain like a champ, "You all right?" Dray asks. Annali gives him one of the angriest glares he's ever seen and he goes back to his work.

 ***19 SECONDS!***

"Hurry up in there! We can't hold it for long!" Ranan yells through gritted teeth.

"I'm TRYING HERE!" Dray shouts frustrated, "Pull harder Chance! She's almost free!" Dray shouts.

"I'm pulling damn it!"

 ***tzzk* 8 seconds!***

"What the- shouldn't it have been 12?" Dray asks himself. Somehow, the countdown sped up by an extra 4 seconds from what it should have been, "PUUULL!"

"GRRRAAAHH!" Chance pulls the rod so hard a piece of the grate off, freeing Annali's bloodied foot. However, he hadn't expected the rod to come at him so quick and hit him in the face with a loud crack, "Oowch, aaah," Chance falls to the floor with his hand on his face, blood seeping from his hands.

"She's free! Open the door now we're coming through!" Dray shouts as he takes Annali by the arm. The group pulls hard on the door, making the entrance wider for the two to walk through easily. Dray walks through first and then Annali steps out.

"Wait, where's Chance?" Max asks and he looks through the window to see Chance just barely getting up from his injury, "Chance, get out of there!" Max yells at him.

 ***4 seconds!***

"Ngh, I'm… coming," Chance gets up hurriedly and scurries for the door.

 ***3***

"We have to close the door now!" one of the guards speaks.

 ***2***

"Chance hold on!" Max shouts as he summons of all of his strength and manages to pull the door even wider and he gets in between the door and reaches his arm out for Chance to grab, "Take it!" he shouts.

 ***1***

*SHOOOMM*

Chance manages to jump in time and grab Max's hand before the vacuum pulls on him. Below the core, the belly of the ship opens up, letting all its contents including the air out into space. With the air being jetted out, the vacuum pulls on Chance hard leaving him in midair with only Max holding him, "I GOT YOU!" Max begins pulling Chance in with what strength he has and pulls him into a bear hug before looking to Ranan and the guards holding the door, "CLOSE IT!" he shouts at the top of his lungs and he pulls Chance in just before they let go of the door.

*SLAM*

The door locks and a bright flash shines through the window.

 ***Core Ventilation: In progress! Await for further instructions!***

The speaker goes off. Everyone is left breathing heavily, Ranan and the guards shaking their arms to relieve their hands of the soreness. Max and Chance are left on the floor with Chance on top of Max, "Ugh, get off me Chance. I ain't into guys!" Max says as he shoves Chance of him.

"*cough* neither am I, heh! Oh, my nose, ow!," Chance says as he gets up slowly with the aid of Ranan.

"Yeah, your blood kind of stained my shirt dude. Get Adam to check you out, he's in Med-Bay. I'll assist in taking Ann- Officer Veren to Med-Bay for her injuries," Max says as he looks over to Annali whom is smiling warmly at him.

"Thank you Tereshkova that is kind of you. I would appreciate it if you took me there *grunt* rather quickly cause this pain is going to be a pain in my ass if I don't get some painkillers or something," Annali states looking down at her bloodied foot.

"Sure mam, anything for you," Max says as he slings her arm around his neck and begins taking her up the stairs.

"We'll report to Captain Caepraka over what happened here!" the guard states and he, along with the rest, walk off.

"Sure, we'll await further instructions from her!" Ranan says.

Dray walks up behind him with an exhausted expression, "Spirits, I have to say that was mighty unpleasant. I don't think I'll be able to sleep tonight… or ever!" Dray says to himself.

"I'm with you. Lucky Cay wasn't here to see this," Ranan adds in.

"I wonder, how did the countdown speed up so fast? I swear I was counting it well but now I'm not so sure," Dray wonders.

"I noticed that too! I might have to do a background check on the computer with Chance to find any signs of tampering," Ranan suggests.

 _-Med-Bay-_

Max walks in with Annali in his arms bridal style, the room is packed with injured Turians; one had gauze wrapped all over his head and another had a sling holding her arm as well as some gauze wrapping her other arm.

"Oh man, I didn't think that many people would have been hurt from this," Max says as he lets Annali stand on her one good foot.

"Yes, well, things happen by accident."

"Yeah but I'm the one who caused all of this; I nearly blew up the ship and nearly killed you. I should've seen the repercussions from tampering with the core conduits. I'm danger to everyone… even you," Max says guiltily. Annali senses his it and cups his cheeks as they walk.

"You were only trying to help. You know not every plan goes so. But in the end, you saved everyone on the ship. Including me," Annali leans up toward him and plants a soft kiss on him to witch he returns.

"Thanks, Annali, I needed that," Max says with a smile.

"Anytime"

As they enter Med-bay As they enter Med-bay Tullvus sees Max and Annali enter the room, "Annali? Are you alright? What happened?" he asks concerned.

"Oh nothing serious just kind of broke my foot and then got it stuck in the floor and then had to pull it out before I got sucked out into the space," Annali explains casually but Tullvus takes it more seriously.

"You broke your foot then pulled it out from getting stuck? Annali you have to be more careful than that. I know you; you're careless and reckless and think everything will be fine after its past. I have other patients to treat you know," Tullvus says angrily.

"Alright, alright, I'll be more careful this time. I was just in a hurry to get this all figured out!"

"*sigh* if you say so. Bring her over here," Tullvus motions for them to follow him. He leads them to another room with fewer people, "Here, lie her down on the bed," he tells him. Max gently helps her sit on soft mattress and lifts her legs up gently, adding a pillow under her bloodied foot to provide extra cushioning, "You really messed up your foot now. You said you broke it? In what way," Tullvus starts scanning her body up and down before looking at Max, "If it's okay, I would like to speak to Officer Veren for the moment," Tullvus asks nicely.

Max looks at Annali to which she gives him a nod to go, "I'll be fine Tereshkova, we'll talk after," she says. Max nods and leaves the room.

He looks around at all the injured crew members, none were seriously injured except for a broken arm and the usual scrape. " _I did all of this. Draining power from the ship and focusing it on the shields was pretty drastic but it only works well when you're doing it inside a dreadnought. This is a cruiser, the core is weaker than a dreadnoughts. It was a risk… but at least it worked out in the end,"_ Max says to himself.

Before he walks out he spots Chance getting treated by Adam, "Hey Chance, Adam clean you up well?" Max asks.

"No more blood but all in all, yeah!" Chance says wincing a smile.

"Don't move Rob, I still got to move your nose back in its place and then craft a small brace to keep it in check. Are you okay Max? You have some blood stains on you," Adam asks.

"I'm alright, this is Chance's blood. He cracked his nose somehow and he started leaking on me," Max explains with a disgusted look on him.

"He says he hit himself on something trying to escape the Engine room, he must've hit himself hard in order to crack his nose really good," Adam explains.

"Mm, I'm going down to the cafeteria to get something to eat. I'm starving from all this drama. You guys want anything?" Max asks turning to leave.

"Nah, I'm going to be busy for a while so I won't get a chance to take a break. So polite pass," Adam declines.

"Alrighty then, Annali's hurt by the way so can you keep an eye on her?" Max asks.

"Sure thing Max, no problem," Adam says with a nod.

"Thanks man," Max says thankfully, turning to leave the Med-bay. As he walks out, another Turian walks in to his left. The two exchange glances and Max instantly recognizes him… Ja'quar, " _You,"_ he says mentally.

" _You,"_ Ja'quar says mentally as well.

They don't stop but instead continue walking, not wanting to waste time with each other. Max's ears begin to burn red after thinking about him, "Maybe some food will get my mind of him," Max says to himself as he heads to the kitchen.

Upon arriving, he finds the entire room empty. Nothing but the white noise of the Air conditioner and the cook looking down at his Omni-tool for some companionship. The cook looks up from his wrist to see Max standing there just looking around. His skin tone was of dark coffee brown while some parts of his facial plates where jet black. His colony markings were somewhat identical to Annali's but down his forehead were four red, white, and green diamond figures arranged to make another diamond shape but maintained their distance from each other. His mandible had the same colors and were also streaks of colors put into their own separate bands, "You need something bud?" he asks with a gruff voice.

"Yeah, you got anything for us Humans? I'm starving at the moment, something that'll make me want to knockout you know?" Max asks leaning on the countertop.

"Sure thing, I heard milk helps you sleep well or at least makes the process smoother," the cook explains.

"Sure it does, just give me the jug for now. I'll hand it back to you when I'm done," Max says.

"If you're going to drink it's going to be in a cup. I aim to save the resources we have without you spoiling it. Here," the cook hands him the gallon of milk and a glass.

"Thanks man. Any bread too?" he asks.

"Yup, take it," the cook hands him the loaf of bread and Max takes them to one of the far ends of the table.

Max pours himself a glass of milk and dips some bread in and takes a bite out of it. He breathes depressingly since there is nothing to do, with each bite he makes an obnoxious sound of slurping and chewing. The cook looks away from his wrist towards Max and glares at him annoyingly, "Are you serious?" he asks. Max looks to him without rotating his head, his mouth stuffed with milk and bread.

"Mm? SSForry, can't helpf it. Just thinking about someone," Max explains himself.

"And who would that be eh?"

"Some douche I fought a few days ago. Been a real pain in my mind for the past few days," Max explains.

"You mean Ja'quar, that bastard? I can see why, he's always been a pain in everyone's ass. I was there when you fought him. I didn't think you would beat him but you did and that surprised me. Ever since then he's been really bitchy towards everyone and his followers. I saw him hitting the gym intensely every day after he was let go from the doc. My best guess is he's getting ready for Round 2. If there's one good thing I can say about him it's that he isn't a quitter. Or maybe that's a bad perk on your side," the cook says. Max takes in the information and nods.

"Well then, that makes two of us…" Max finishes his bread and chugs down the entire cup. He slides the now nearly empty gallon of milk down towards the opposite end of the table and it stops just at the edge. Max gets up to leave but stops just before the door, "-I don't give up either," he says and walks through the door.

The cook walks out of the kitchen and takes the nearly empty gallon of milk and looks at it at an angle. He looks back at the door from where he left and he shakes his head in agreement, "No doubt about that," he says and he walks back into the kitchen and places the jug back in the refrigerator.

 **Hey guys, sorry I haven't uploaded in like WEEKS! Or maybe it was one, I don't know.**

 **I've been caught up with so much stuff, especially since I'm going to be a counselor for a church summer camp for a few days. I've been preparing for the time because it's nearly a week of me being there for the campers and making sure they don't mess around.**

 **Despite that, I will work harder to crank out these chapters in a decent amount of time. It usually took me like two or three days to write a chapter and they were long ones too. Now, I can only write a few paragraphs cause my brain can't make sentences after a long period of typing.**

 **Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and as always…**

 **Have a nice day ;)**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

 **1130 A.M. Bridge- PFS Trianis March 5, 2183**

"So, what is it on the data they recovered?" Caepraka asks Chance.

"Well… not much. Everything here mostly consists of Planetary Atmospheric research and a small amount of something else," Chance explains.

"What do you mean 'something else'?" she asks.

Days after the events following the attack on the fleet, the Captains reached an agreement to where they would maintain formation as a single fleet in order to keep the other safe from surprise attacks such as the one days before. Ever since then, crews from the Trianis, Victrition, and Kilimanjaro were on high alert constantly. Extended hours on duty and less sleep time call for increased discipline. With everyone hard at work, the bridge was never so packed in its nine long years of service. Caepraka took the liberty of assigning Chance to examine the files recovered from the Cerberus Campsite seeing as how he was able to surpass a firewall that was years ahead of anything any of the Councils species were able to develop, including the Asari.

"I mean there is a small folder holding scientific research on something I can't quite make out," Chance explains further.

"What is it about?" she asks.

"Hold on a sec," Chance pulls up the folder and opens it, "Here; something about DNA manipulation and recoding. And then here's another file but it reads 'INFO REDACTED'. And that's when I say I still can't make it out," Chance explains.

Caepraka stands straight and breathes a heavy sigh of frustration. She was hoping there would be more valuable information from the raid but it was all for some vague answers that bring up more questions than answers.

"Are you sure that's all there is? Nothing more?" she asks again hoping there's more.

"I'm sorry Captain, that's all there was. I only managed to recover a small amount of info when I hacked into their mainframe. But it only hints more toward the DNA manipulation. I suspect it could be they are trying to, I don't know, manipulate genetic coding to fit something I couldn't possibly imagine," Chance explains, coming out without any idea towards Cerberus's plan on the planet.

"Mm… very well Corporal. You did your best, have the data compiled into a single file to send to your Captain. You may go back to your duties," she orders, placing a hand on his shoulder and then returning to the holo-display.

" _What could they be doing down there? DNA manipulation… recoding… what could it mean?_ " As she's thinking this, she remains oblivious to Annali standing on the other side of the deck.

"Um, Captain?"

"Huh? Oh, hello Veren. You need something?" she asks.

"I wanted to ask if you could give Engineering a break. They've been at it for a while and they could use the time to relax their fingers. Especially Engineer Tereshkova, with our air conditioning higher in temperature than what he's used to, it's really affecting his ability to work," she explains.

"*sigh* I'm sorry Veren but I can't allow that. Two of our scouts spotted a cruiser parked in the northern continent and one down in the southeastern continent. We're not sure if they know we're here or they're just doing some maintenance. I can't risk anyone dropping their guard at this point. The stakes are too high now."

"Captain, with all due respect, I understand your concern but wouldn't it be wise if half the crew could at least take a break. We'd be switching back and forth on manpower and if a battle presents itself, we can use the rest to manage the ship," Annali expresses her idea.

"We can't do that now; if we have half the crew relax while the other half work more, they would overexert themselves and then we would have to switch them again and then the overworked ones will need extended time to relax and then the cycle will repeat," Caepraka reasons out Annali's idea. She stands up fully from hunching over the display and rubs her eyes, "Look Veren, these are difficult times and we have to live with it. The Kilimanjaro and Victrition are doing the same. If it helps Tereshkova, I could send him back to the Kilimanjaro if he can't take the temp-"

"No!" she quickly says in protest. Everyone looks at her and she realizes she said it a bit louder than she wanted to, "I mean, we can't just switch out Engineers now. Tereshkova has done a lot for the Trianis and it would be critical if he stayed in case we get into a fight," she explains quickly.

Caepraka looks at her curiously, "But… you just said the temperature would affect his ability to manage during a battle."

"I meant he should take breaks to be prepared for a battle," Annali clarifies.

Caepraka raises a brow plate, eerily suspicious of what Annali is trying to ask her. But she doesn't feel like making a big deal about it, "Fine, I'll give the Engineers some break time. 10 minutes to relax but they are expected to be ready in case of a Code Red. Understand?" Caepraka asks.

"Yes mam," Annali salutes and turns toward the elevator.

As the doors close, Annali breathes a heavy sigh of relief. She hinted her relationship with Max so much without even thinking. She was surprised the Captain didn't about it any further.

"I need to be more careful, I nearly told her about us. That won't go over well with the Hierarchy even at this point," Annali tells herself. Relations with Humanity were still fragile and she didn't want to threaten it with truth spilling out about their relationship. However, that would prove difficult with Ja'quar up and even angrier before. Rumors had gone about a possible rematch between him and Max. It would be defying the Captains orders if he fought Max again. She didn't want to think about the possibility of them fighting again. Ja'quar would be much more vicious than before and would most likely do something to increase his chances at winning, "He will die if he does anything to him. On second thought, I hope he tries something so I could have a reason to pummel him myself," Annali says to herself.

The doors open and Annali walks out. Walking down the crew's quarters to her room, she enters and sits down on the chair next to her desk. Placing a hand on her face she leans back on her chair, irritation starting to get to her. Days after the events that followed, things became increasingly frustrating with everyone working overtime. Her work extended all across the ship, making sure everyone was working at optimum capacity. With this came many hours of nonrelaxation. When she had free time, she would swing by Engineering to talk with Dray and Ranan but primarily with Max. She often times lay down with him on his bed to pass the time with him. He always managed to relax her in the short time they were together.

"If only it were time to sleep already. I could really use it right about now," the doors open suddenly, catching Annali off guard.

"Hey Annie," Ma'Rice greets her. Annali smiles to see a familiar face.

"Hey Ma'Rice, good to see you. It's been a while," Annali says.

"Yeah, even longer with all this going on. How's your foot?" he asks.

"It's been better. The soreness is gone now and all that's left are a few scars. Nothing to worry about if that's what you're referring to," Annali implies.

"Oh I'm not worried, you're too tough for me to be worried about you. How's it going with Max?" he asks suddenly, throwing Annali off for a moment.

"Um, fine. Why?" she asks suspiciously.

"I'm just asking, no need to be all Detective on me. It's just… are you being careful with what you're doing with him?" he asks worriedly.

"Of course, things have been gentle so far," she lies plainly, recalling the last time she and Max had sex.

Ma'Rice doesn't quite believe it, if she were telling the truth she would've added a bit more to her response. But then again, not even he can tell from her blank expression, "Well whatever you two are doing, be sure to take it up with the doctor so you make sure neither of you develops anything that could pose a serious threat to your health.

"Since when did you become so overprotective of me, Ma'Rice?" Annali recalls.

"Overprotective? These are orders coming from the doctors themselves; Tullvus and Montero. They're worried about you. Well, Tullvus is, Montero's worried for Tereshkova," Ma'Rice explains.

"What are they worried about?" she asks.

"Not my place to say, that's the Doc's job to explain to you. I'm merely looking out for my friend is all. I have to go now, I'm leading a fire team down to Chasca for another raid. You take care now," Ma'Rice says and starts walking toward the exit.

"Wait, you're doing a raid? How come I wasn't told?" Annali asks, feeling a bit left out.

"Captain said it would be wise if I went down there for a more 'controlled' approach this time. Don't know what she meant by that but I guess I'm that good of a leader, eh?" Ma'Rice brags until Annali rolls her eyes and pushes him out into the hallway.

"Sure, in your dreams. I'll talk to Tullvus later, I promise," Annali says as Ma'Rice turns around.

"Alright then, I'll be headed out now. Wish me luck I'll find something that'll get us home quickly," Ma'Rice says and he waves her goodbye as he walks down the hallway.

Annali waves back and hangs by the doorway, watching him as he disappears behind the corner. She walks back into her cabin and finds her console flashing orange, signaling a call. Walking over, she sits down and flips up the console, accepting the call, "Hello?" she speaks. An image of Ranan appears and he looks worried, "Ranan? Did you need something?" she asks.

"Umm, do you know where Max is?" he asks with some concern in his voice.

"Isn't he in engineering with you?" Annali asks, now starting to get worried.

"He left to go and take a break in the gym or something. He said he would be back in 5 but it's already been 10 minutes passed. We kind of need him here at the moment for Core maintenance," Ranan explains.

Annali wonders what he could be doing now and grows concerned with every new possibility popping up in her head, "Alright, I'll go look for him, Ranan," Annali says. Ranan nods and the line cuts. Annali walks out of her cabin and flips up her Omni-tool to contact Max, "He better answer, leaving his post like that isn't like him," she tells herself. Going into her contacts, she tries to contact him but an error message pops up, "Line unavailable? What the hell does that mean?" she asks herself.

Taking the elevator, she pushes for the Rec Room, she could've taken the stairs which would have been much easier but something told her to take the elevator. As the elevator descends, sounds of chatter and hollers could be heard as she neared the Recreational Center. The doors open to many crew members gathering at the Gym doors but none of them enter instead bang on the glass door. By the look on their faces, something must be wrong. She quickly makes her way towards the crowd and tries to look over them but with the many heads in the way she can barely look in. She can only see some movement inside but can't make out any distinguishable features of the people inside.

She pulls one of the crew members aside, "Hey, what's going here?" she asks.

"Ja'quar is fighting the Human again Mam! He's locked the door so we can't get in to break it up!" the crewman tells her.

Annali's eyes widen and she pushes through the crowd to see Max and Ja'quar duking it out. Max's nose is bleeding and his arms are covered in scratches from Ja'quars talons, his shirt smeared with some blood stains. Ja'quar is practically fine, no blood seeping nor any gashes on his skin or any indication Max even laid a hit on him.

"Not so tough now are ya!" Ja'quar teases as he lands a fist to the left side of Max's face.

Max falls to the ground but gets back up as quick as he fell, putting his arms up again, "You act like you're above me, how's about you be a man and come at me from the front next time. That way it'll be an even fight and you don't look like a coward," Max shakes his head in disappointment.

Ja'quar gets angry at this and charges Max, "RAAAH! You are nothing to me!" he shouts in pure rage and he lands an upper cut to his stomach, winding Max, and then delivering a right hook to his face, blood spilling out and down at the white floor.

"MAX! Someone hard-wire into the console and get this thing open now!" Annali orders angrily. One of the crewman step up and breaks open the console and begins working while Annali can only watch as Max gets the beating of a lifetime, " _I am going to kill you Ja'quar!"_ Annali clenches her fists and she punches the glass in anger.

Max gets backed into weight lifting set and Ja'quar pushes him under the bar and places his foot on his neck to keep him there, "You're going to get what's coming to you Human," Ja'quar lifts the heavy 130 lb. barbell, putting a lot of strain on Max's neck making him struggle. He lifts it over and quickly removes his foot and pushes the barbell down on his neck. Max catches it in time is too tired to push it off him and not enough strength to fight against Ja'quar. Ja'quar continues to push down on it, pushing it against Max's neck hard but with heavy resistance, "Come on you little flesh bag just give up already now!" Ja'quar growls, adding his body weight on the barbell making Max gag as the barbell pushes his throat to block his airway.

Annali pounds on the door in a futile attempt to break through, seeing Max so helpless and to possibly die at the hands of Ja'quar makes her angry beyond what she could comprehend, "MAX! That's it!" Annali pulls out her Carnifex pistol and points it at the door, taking a step back. The crewmen take a step back as well.

*BANG* *BANG*

The bullets hit the glass but only manage to crack it and not penetrate it, "What the hell is this? Why are the windows resistant?" she asks frustrated.

"They were installed in case of enemy boarding parties so they wouldn't get through rooms so easily-"

"Get that door open!" Annali cuts him off. The crewman nods and goes back to work.

Max's eyes blink rapidly as his vision darkens, his breath only little wheezes of air escaping from his mouth, "That's it, go to sleep, yesss," Ja'quar hisses evilly.

Annali sees Max's near defeat and she quickly flips up her Omni-tool and the weapon flares an orange holographic symbol, "Concussive shot equipped, stand back!" she aims the gun as everyone backs off into the hallway.

*BLAM*

The glass shatters and flies into the Gym, the echoes of the explosion ringing through the hallways. Ja'quar gets startled and looks behind for a moment. Max senses his opportunity and summons the strength he has left and pushes the barbell off him and onto Ja'quar, bringing him down quickly and pinned. Max pushes the barbell down on Ja'quars neck, applying pressure on him, causing him to gag.

Annali hops through the window and makes her way over to Max, "Thank goodness you're alright," she says relieved. Max gives her a weak smile and looks back down towards Ja'quar, "You, however…" her relief quickly turns to anger as she recalls what he tried to do to Max. She grabs his face and angles it so he's looking at her in the eyes, "-won't be alright," she brings the Gun to the side of his face.

Max sees this and rests a hand on her wrist, she looks at him questioningly as he shakes his head, "N-not… worth… killing… f-for… me…" he says, his voice scratchy and wheezy.

Annali tenses up, not dropping her angry look, "He tried to kill you, he is a danger to you and the crew," she states angrily, her finger starting to pull the trigger.

"I agree… w-with… you… b-but killing… h-him… is… the first… s-step… to… becoming… him…" Max explains to her.

Annali's expression softens as she hears this and she brings the gun away from Ja'quars face. Her face turns to a feeling of shame and she closes her eyes and nods, "You're right Max. Who would want to be this sorry sack of shit?" she implies towards Ja'quar. Max smiles and brings down a heavy fist on Ja'quars face, making him groan in pain. He picks him up and crosses his wrist together behind him and walks him out of the gym with Annali behind him. The crew gather around and help secure Ja'quar by throwing him to the floor and pinning his arms and legs, immobilizing him completely.

"Let… me go! I swear I am going to-"

"You are going to do nothing Ja'quar," Ma'Rice cuts him off. Everyone looks up to see Ma'Rice decked out in his armor and accompanied by six other soldiers armed with Vindicators, "Well take him from here men," he tells them. The soldiers take the places of the others holding his limbs down and pick him up, placing handcuffs on him, "You okay Max?" he asks when he looks at Max's state.

"Oh yeah *cough* I'm… fine…" Max struggles to say.

"Easy there Big guy, I don't want you losing your voice. Let's go get something warm for you to drink," Annali places a hand on his shoulder and guides him to the stairs as the soldiers take Ja'quar towards the elevator. As Annali and Max leave, Ma'Rice notices some of the crew watch them as they leave.

"Hey come on, move along! Back to work!" he orders. They quickly salute and then scatter while the Custodian sticks around to clean the broken glass, "Well that settles that. Make sure the glass is all cleaned up so no one gets a shard up their foot," he orders. The custodian nods as he sets to work.

Sometime later…

"Is that working for you?"

"*Ahem* So-so yeah it is. Not so raspy anymore," Max rubs his throat.

"Damn that Ja'quar dude nearly killed you and left you with a nearly collapsed esophagus. I had a feeling he was bad news, didn't I tell you?"

"Montero, come on, take it easy. No one knew Ja'quar is a trained Special Forces member, though the demotion does get to him," Annali explains.

"All of this could've been avoided if you hadn't-"

"Yes Adam, I know, I never should have fought him, yes I get it. When are you gonna let go of that?" Max asks, his voice still slightly raspy.

"Not as easy as the Captain; I don't know what she'll do to Ja'quar but from what I've heard from Tullvus… you Turians do seem to have a pretty severe rule for Capital punishment don't you?" Adam asks.

"It is of similar punishment compared to your rule of punishment. At this point, I hope Ja'quar gets spaced or at the very least stranded on some sort of Moon," Annali says.

Adam applies Medi-gel to the cuts on Max's arms and torso, each touch causing a searing pain but quickly fades away.

"Damn, I should've seen him coming from behind me, that sneaky bastard," Max rubs the back of his neck, "Caught me by surprise."

"From where did he come from?" Annali asks.

"I was going to the bathroom to change into my clothes but then he came out of nowhere, I think he came from above," he rubs his neck again, "I felt a quick pain on my neck for a second… then he started pummeling me," Max rubs his neck again.

Adam notices him rub his neck continuously and looks at Annali who notices the same thing, "Max, let me see your neck for a second," Adam tells him. Max stoops down and lets Adam look over him. Adam sees nothing until he sees a small red bump with some blood oozing out. He wipes away the blood and finds a small hole, "Huh, it seems like an injection point from a needle it looks to me. Did you see him have anything on him, Max?" Adam asks.

"No, if he was then I would've noticed but he didn't have anything on him," Max explains.

Annali grows suspicious of this, "He must've stabbed you with a syringe while you were off guard very quickly. Montero, take a sample of his blood and see if you can find anything that isn't him. I'll go down to the Gym and see if I can find anything. I'll be back soon," Annali rushes out from med-bay and enters the elevator. Heading down to the Recreational Center, she spots the Custodian working on the door, "Hey, did you find anything weird here?" she asks.

"No mam, I just got done sweeping up all the glass here and inside the Gym. If you want, you can go check the place yourself. Careful though, there might some leftover glass somewhere," he warns her.

"Thanks," Annali walks over to the wash rooms and finds the place clean. As she takes a step forward, something rolls in front of her as her foot kicks something; a syringe, "So it was a syringe then," she examines the small utensil and finds the needle covered with Max's blood with some sort of olive-colored substance dripping from the end, " _What the hell is this?"_ she asks herself. She rotates the base of the tube and pops off the plunger, taking a whiff of the smell, " _Smells like… Xeno-toxin!"_ Annali's eyes widen and she sprints out of the Gym and past the hallway to the elevator, trying to take the fastest route to Med-Bay.

After making it halfway up the stairs, her legs are aching to tire out but she pushes on. Making it to Med-Bay, she walks through, breathing heavily and then leaning against the wall for support, " _I really hate stairs,"_ she tells herself. Walking over to Adam, she taps his shoulders and shows him the syringe, "Xeno-toxin, injected nearly the entire thing into Max," she tells him.

Adam's mouth falls open and he takes the syringe to further examine it, "Annali, this isn't Xeno-toxin… this is a Human fabricated syringe. I don't think you read it but this is the most dangerous known toxin to man: Botulinum. The scent is similar to the Xeno-toxin but it isn't the same. There's that distinction that tells the difference," Adam quickly takes a vial from the stands next to him and pours in the toxin. He places it in a machine and scans it. Typing away at the computer he sighs frustratingly, "Yep, it is the neurotoxin. 100% I need the antitoxin from my bag, luckily I was prepared for this kind of thing," Adam walks over to a locker and pulls out a large bag and begins sifting through it.

"How powerful is it?" Annali asks now more nervous about Max's condition.

"If I don't treat now, his muscles will weaken and falter, eventually paralyzing his lungs and later affecting his neuro and circulatory system, killing him. I can treat it now so we shouldn't have to worry… about… it," Adam slowly stops. He starts sifting through the bag quickly, his movements spelling panic.

"Is there something wrong?" Annali asks.

"Oh no…" Adam says dreadfully. He stands up with a vial split in two, its contents dried and useless.

"Is… that the-" Annali begins to speak and Adam confirms her suspicion.

"The Anti-toxin is lost. I can't cure him, Mam," his words hit her like a sack of bricks. She leans on one of the beds, not wanting to fall.

She holds her hand to her chest, a certain emptiness filling her. Adam places a hand on her shoulder to comfort her, "I'm sorry Veren…I-" before he could finish, she gets up and walks away from him toward Max. She walks up beside him, already asleep. Annali ruffles through his soft hair, feeling his silkiness and then following down to caress his cheek.

" _So warm…"_ her hands meet his when he gently grabs her by the hand.

"Hey Annie, I was just closing my eyes for a little bit, I hope it's not against the Captains rules," he says, oblivious as to what Annali and Adam were just talking about.

"Heh, no it won't be. You're not fit to work right now," Annali assures, hiding her sadness with a smile.

"Well then, what can I help you with?" he asks lovingly.

Annali smiles again, stroking his cheek and squints her eyes to try and keep the tears at bay but ultimately loses her composure, "I just want you to stay with me," she breaks down and hugs his neck, surprising him. Her cries hinting something bad must have gone wrong, he looks at Adam who gives him a look of sadness.

"Annali, why are you crying?" Max asks, worriedly.

"Max… *sigh* when Ja'quar snuck up on you, he injected a neurotoxin into you; Botulinum to be exact," Adam tells him.

Max's brows furrow questioningly and then it comes together to make sense, "But don't you have an anti-toxin in your bag? You should have one right?" he asks him, hopefully.

Adam remains silent and he pulls out the shattered vial from his pocket, "The vial's been destroyed and the serum is obsolete at this point. I can't give you the anti-toxin. And that was the only one, the Kilimanjaro doesn't carry them anymore since the toxin is near non-existent now. I'm sorry Max," he says, sorrowfully.

Now understanding his predicament, Max returns the hug to try and calm Annali. His life was at end then and there, his chances to live his life was now narrowed down to nothing. Annali couldn't bear to lose him, he was the only one that really understood her and helped her see past her hate for Humans to actually loving one. Max was her one and only and now here he is now facing death.

An idea pops up into her head, making her stifle her cry momentarily. She remembered something about how most of the Human colonies held herbal supplements that bolstered Human immunities and sometimes were able to cure them of deadly diseases, "Adam, shouldn't Chasca have a plant that kills neurotoxins?" she asks, looking up from Max's shoulder.

Adam's face immediately lights up like the fireworks of July and he runs to his console. He taps into the console and stops momentarily and then jumps in the air, "Yes!" he shouts victoriously. He flips up his Omni-tool and looks through it, pulling up an image of a plant and angles it to show Max and Annali, "Yes, in fact, there is a plant, a root if you will, down on Chasca. Here in the Southwestern part of the continent, there's a great abundance of these roots," he shows them the image of the anatomy of the plant and the root together. The flower stem is yellow with very small specks of green and gray dots, the bulb was surrounded by a what looked like serrated edged petals, however, they were delicate to the touch. The inside looked like a dandelion but had a purple and violet hue swirling down to the center where it dipped into the bulb. The root was thorny, probably to anchor itself into the soil well and to prevent it from getting pulled out.

"So this can cure him for sure?" Annali asks almost excited.

"You bet, if you can get me a sample of the root, I can synthesize the antitoxin and give it immediately to Max," Adam explains excitedly.

Annali sighs in relief, now there was hope for Max. Annali looks at Max to which he smiles and the two interlock in a deep kiss. Annali nearly burst into tears but managed to contain herself. Separating they look at Adam who is looking down at his Omni-tool.

"So then that's it; we go down, get the root, and come back. Three step process, shouldn't be hard," Annali says confidently.

"Max will have to stay here, further movement will speed up the neurotoxin distribution throughout his body. Here, I can control it with some immuno-boosters but you will have to act fast, they'll stall the neurotoxin but won't hold it forever. I suggest talking to the Captain now, we don't have much time. We have only two days before the neurotoxin is beyond curable," Adam warns and he takes out a syringe from a locker along with a gun-like injector. He screws the vial to the top, inserts the needle into Max's arm, and pulls the trigger.

With minimal hiss from the gun, the serum is gone, "AH! The hell that hurts like crap!" Max whines.

"Quit your whining, it's only an Immuno-booster. You better get to it Veren, we only have so much time," Adam tells her.

Annali nods in agreement and looks back at Max who nods back at her, "You go, I'll still be alive and breathing when you get back," Max tells her assuringly. Annali smiles and gives Max another kiss, taking her time to savor it should it be their last time together. In which case, it won't.

"I'll be back Max, with the cure in hand. You're not leaving me, that's not going to happen," she says confidently.

"I would do the same for you too," Max admits.

Annali nods and makes her way to the door but stops just before it and looks back at Adam, "Do what you can Montero, I'll be back," she states and runs out the door to the elevator. Adam waves her bye and goes to work.

[

"He has what?" Caepraka asks angrily. Annali explained everything to her from Ja'quar injecting the neurotoxin up until now.

"Botulinum mam, if I don't get down there and retrieve the root in time then Tereshkova will perish. But it has to be now!" Annali nearly shouts at her.

Caepraka sighs frustratingly, already having to deal with Ja'quar and now a poisoned crewmate, and a human at that, "Then we mustn't waste any time. Right now I have to help direct the flotilla, gather a small team and take Shuttle-034 down to the planet," Caepraka instructs.

"I don't need a big team, it's only going to be a quick grab. Montero has given me the plant description in which to synthesize the antitoxin," Annali explains.

"In any case, take what you need and be back quick. I'll have Cubillius take your place for the time being. Good luck, Veren," Caepraka tells her.

"Thank you," Annali salutes then leaves for the elevator. As the elevator doors close she sees her take her place just behind Chance.

With only 48 hours to get the root, she has only enough time to find it and get it on the shuttle, deliver it to Montero and wait for him to synthesize the antitoxin.

Sounds easy enough.

Half an hour later…

Annali meets up with Ma'Rice in shuttle bay with her Turquoise armor and Vindicator. Ma'Rice is suited with his traditional black Turian soldier armor and Vindicator rifle. Annali is stuck in her Omni-tool and doesn't notice Ma'Rice sneak up behind her.

"Hey!" he startles her making her jump slightly.

"Damn you, Ma'Rice."

"*chuckle* so what are we doing down there?" Ma'Rice asks curiously.

"We're doing a quick search and recover mission. A plant that looks like this," she shows him the flower.

"Huh, sounds easy enough," Ma'Rice says confidently.

"The thing is, we have to travel deep into the valley to find the flower. We're only after its roots so make sure if you spot it, dig the entire flower up along with its roots. Understood?" Annali explains.

"Yes, mam, all set and ready for deployment," Ma'Rice states formally.

"All right, let's get on the shuttle," Annali orders.

Ma'Rice is left thrown off, "Wait, is it only going to be us?" he asks confused.

"Affirmative, there shouldn't be any trouble while we hike through. As I said, simple. Now come on, we don't have all day… or at the most, all week," Annali motions for him to get on. He follows suit and gets on, putting on his helmet. Annali knocks on the pilot's door, "We're ready Pilot, take us down!" Annali tells him.

The pilot gives a thumbs up and taps away at the console. The door closes and a small hissing sound can be heard as the cabin pressurizes. The shuttle shifts to the left over the hangar bay down to the planet.

"Permission to disembark the Trianis! Over!" the pilot states through the comm.

" ***tzzk* Shuttle-034 you are cleared to disembark and drop! Good luck!"** one of the radiomen confirms.

The shuttle drops down through the belly of the cruiser and glides down towards the planet. As the shuttle descends, it begins to enter the atmosphere, friction between the shuttle and the air begins to get hot, soon engulfing the craft in a fire.

The shuttle breaks through the clouds, having passed the atmosphere quickly. The valley can be seen straight ahead, trees cover partially half of the valley as the rest in nearly plain with a few large hedges here and there. Water starts to build up on the window, "Seems it's rained just recently. We'll have to make this quick before it starts raining again. At that point, it'll be tough to make out anything in front of us and from afar," Annali points out.

"Agreed, we better hustle then," Ma'Rice agrees.

"Mam, I've landed us in an opening in the trees to mask your movement. Call for evac when you're ready!" the pilot informs.

Ma'Rice jumps out and unclips the rifle from his back, scanning the area, "Area's clear, mam!" Ma'Rice shouts.

"Thanks, pilot! We'll be done quick!" Annali jumps out just behind Ma'Rice, "Alright Ma'Rice, let's go," Annali unclips her Vindicator, taking the first step into the forest.

 **Hey, guys, it's been a while.**

 **I've been working on this and my other school assignments so it's hard to focus on this when I have so much.**

 **So bear with me here and just be patient. I can't write as fast as I did before. I think I mentioned this before but I'm not sure so I'll say it. I would appreciate any** **positive** **criticism from you. It can be from grammar to information regarding the Mass Effect Universe that I may have gotten wrong and such things like that. I don't appreciate flames so if ya got nothin to say then don't say anything at all.**

 **All in all, thanks for sticking around and I hope you all continue to do so.**

 **As always, have a nice day ;)**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey guys, sorry for the long wait. I'll explain everything at the end so just read the chapter and enjoy!**

Chapter 9

"Can you just slow down for me? I know we're in a hurry but would it give to just let me take in some air?" Ma'Rice pleads, breathing heavily after the long run they made to cover more ground.

"If we walk Max loses precious time, we have to get to the root soon. Best be done now than to take it easy and struggle later. Besides, I think we're nearly there anyway," Annali reasons, flipping up her Omni-tool to keep track of their location.

"That's what you said an hour ago. Where is it exactly?" Ma'Rice asks.

"Montero gave me the coordinates to a possible location of where the root could be located," she answers.

"I hope he's right, cause it-," Ma'Rice suddenly goes silent.

"Cause whaaAAH?!" Annali gets tackled to the floor by Ma'Rice. Before she can scold him he puts a finger to her mouth and his and then points up.

A white and yellow shuttle passes overhead slowly, Annali and Ma'Rice stay completely still, assuming they are using motion trackers to scan the area. Moments pass by, it starts to seem as though the shuttle isn't going to leave unless something does move, but finally it continues on its way before disappearing behind the tree line.

"Must be a Cerberus shuttle," Annali suggests.

"Most likely, let's get to the root and get- where are you going?" Ma'Rice asks as Annali starts walking in the direction the shuttle was flying towards.

"There must be a base nearby, we have to check it out," Annali says as she hops over a collapsed tree.

"No we don't, we came here to get one thing and one thing only; a root! Not chase after things that seem out of place or look suspicious. Now let's get a move on," Ma'Rice reasons but she continues on the trail.

"Maybe they have a cure to the Human poison. Surely, they have to have one, shouldn't they?" Annali comes back at him.

Ma'Rice considers the possibility of it but he still had doubts, "Fine, what if they have it? How are we going to get in their base? We're only two people against a possible platoon of Cerberus troops," Ma'Rice voices his concerns.

Annali stops and turns to him, walking over to him in a fast and an almost frustrating pace. He braces himself for whatever she might unleash on him but is surprised when she stops just in front of him, "What would you do if it was me who had the poison? Would you take the hour-long hike to get it or take the easiest and possibly riskiest way?" she asks him. Ma'Rice doesn't respond, "Listen, I love Max for all he's worth and I'm not afraid to say it. But every minute passed to me is like waiting for his time to come and I have no plans on letting him die. We have one shot at this I know but right now it looks to me we also have a shot at getting some intel on their presence here on Chasca," at this Ma'Rice's eyes meet hers, his mind in consideration.

"*sigh* I'm gonna regret this… let's follow the shuttle then," Ma'Rice says as he walks past Annali, taking point through the forest.

Annali gives a smirk, knowing he wouldn't know with her helmet on but somehow she knew he knew. They follow the hum of the engines through the forest, treading carefully, not wanting to confuse their sounds with the shuttles. They might be following false noise but every so often they would stop and check, fortunately, the hum was still there.

As they follow the shuttle, the terrain becomes much more difficult; the ground is mainly mud which sticks to their suits and continues to build up, adding more and more weight with each step. Would've been better if it wasn't raining. Collapsed trees came one after the other, some leaning away from others to form… a path?

They stumble upon a wide trail, the ground dug in to show the trail and trees cut and moved out of the way from obstruction of the path.

"Seems as though we've found our way," Ma'Rice implies.

"Right. We have a lead so let's follow the trail in the cover of the trees. We don't know if we'll meet a Cerberus squad up ahead and I am certainly not in the mood to introduce myself," Annali explains, walking back into the cover of the trees as Ma'Rice follows suit.

The silence of the forest gives Annali a lot to think about, with neither engaging in any conversation it's best they can leave themselves to their own thoughts. Like Annali, her thoughts are on Max. She wonders how he's holding up, if he's in pain or if Adam is caring for him. She would give anything to be back with Max but with the poison threatening to kill him slowly, she's more useful on the ground looking for the root which holds the cure. This brings her back to how he got the poison in the first place. Instantly her grip on her Vindicator tightens. The nerve Ja'quar had to try and kill him, even more, to try and guarantee his death with a lethal injection of that Human poison. How he managed to acquire one, who knows. But this actually brings curiosity to her; how did he manage to acquire one? There was no way unless Adam brought it. But she knew Tullvus checked his things and made sure no type of poison was brought on board, Turian or Human.

" _I'll have to make an investigation on this once I get back,"_ he thought is cut off when she feels a slight tapping on her right. Turning she finds it's Ma'Rice trying to get her attention.

"I think I see some lights up ahead. We better watch our step now, we don't know if we're walking into a minefield," he implies the surrounding area.

"They wouldn't place minefields here if it was a war zone. They are only here for research, it's not a military occupation," she reasons.

"Perhaps, but I just can't help but get the feeling that these humans come prepared and well armed," he whispers.

"We'll find out once we get close enough," they crouch a little to try and lay low as their suspicions are proven correct by a floodlight scanning around their area.

Slowly but surely they make it to the source, hiding just behind a rock. Ma'Rice looks over it as the light points elsewhere. A lone tower protecting a small white clinic. By the looks of it, it looks like a permanent establishment considering the foundation is cemented to the ground. Ma'Rice gets back behind the rock as the light becomes directed at him but aimlessly passes over them.

"The building looks small, not enough security to protect it so disarming the place seems easy enough. What are we going to find inside?" he asks as he unclips his sniper, the barrel shooting out as the scope and stock push out.

"We'll find out when we get inside. There should be something worth taking back to the flotilla," Annali equips a silencer to her rifle, "You take out the lookout and I'll get the minorities," she orders.

"Copy that!" he waits until the light passes overhead. At that moment he pokes out and lines his shot.

The two guards at the bottom see him and get ready to retaliate until their visors crack inwards and small projectile exits out from behind. Annali jumps over the rock and sprints toward the structure. Ma'Rice takes the shot and silences the look-out, the light stopping its scan as the troop falls back into his nest.

They regroup back together by the fence. Annali takes out a small rod and a small laser shoots out to just about 2 inches in length. With it she cuts the fence into a gumdrop shape, allowing them easy access inside. The two crawl inside, Annali pulls up her rifle and scans the area for hostiles. Ma'Rice follows up as he brings up his sniper scanning the opposite direction as well. There was more personnel, they were just somewhere else.

"Access the terminal, I'll cover us," Ma'Rice states.

Annali moves forward and lets her Omni-tool hack the terminal without her having to pull it up. The door flashes an orange symbol but later turns green as the hack bypasses the security. The doors open and Annali taps Ma'Rice's shoulder signaling for him to get in. He scans the area one more time before falling back inside. The doors close behind them, the sound of air pressurizing sounds off.

Annali takes off her helmet and gives a sigh of relief, "I've never been so glad to feel air conditioning after that long hike," she says.

Ma'Rice takes off his helmet, his brow plates instantly perk up in surprise, "That's… actually nice. I guess that's only good thing I can say about Cerberus," Ma'Rice jokes.

"Alright, take a look around, look for anything that may be useful. We need to find a Medical Cache or something while I download anything and everything I can from their databases," she instructs, pulling up her Omni-tool and scanning the room's computers.

Ma'Rice nods, beginning his search towards a closet like an area, the wall was, in fact, a fence giving anyone a view of what was inside, which wasn't much. All there was was a few boxes and filing cabinets built into the building but each cabinet had a lock.

"Don't take too long on one thing Ma'Rice, make a quick search and move on. We can't afford to waste any time," she warns.

"Copy that!" he confirms.

Ma'Rice searches through the boxes quickly, each one containing paper files of whatever it is that they contained. Without any knowledge of the Human language, he decides to have his helmet recorded everything he sees. Flipping one page after another so the camera caught it clearly.

Suddenly the door opens, a Cerberus troop walks in, "Halt!" he barks, lifting his rifle to fire but Annali beats him with a quick draw of her Carnifex and, without looking, fires two shots, one hitting his chest and the other entering through his helmet and flying out the back. The body falls lifeless outside the door, letting the door close all the way.

"Wow," Ma'Rice simply says.

"Have you found anything so far?" she asks as she holsters her pistol back on her leg.

"Nothing so far, just a bunch of files I can't decipher. I made a recording holding all the files in it so maybe Chance can interpret them once we get back. I'll move on over there, looks promising," he points in the direction of a set of double doors with a white cross enclosed in a red circle.

"Alright, I'll keep lookout then. I'm nearly done with the download, anyway. 65% downloaded," she states.

The doors open automatically as Ma'Rice approaches them but also startling him. The room lights up automatically, allowing Ma'Rice to identify many cabinets on both sides and more down the hallway in front of him. Each cabinet is tinted with a primarily white color with some black markings giving it some texture. A small holographic tag reading something in Human that Ma'Rice can't identify.

A memory comes across Ma'Rice, remembering back to when they were first playing Uno with Max; he could scan the symbols to translate the text. Ma'Rice flips up his Omni-tool and scans the holographic bar, immediately the symbols rearrange into Turian text and Ma'Rice interprets them as, "AV-001A. Hmph, so much for that, I don't even know what they mean," he opens the cabinet only to find vials of different colored liquids inside, most of them being either blue or purple. Each vial had another name tape stuck to them, "Let's see what you say," he scans them, the symbols rearrange and form, " _Phectral Anti-bacterium._ Wonder what the means," he continues to scan the rest of the vials only find each one is a form of anti-bacterium serum or Anti-venom antidote… Anti-venom? "Wait a minute, could there be…" the realization hits him and he turns to Annali in the other room, "Annali, I think I've got something!" he shouts.

"Hold on, 97%, gimme a few more seconds," she yells back.

"I think I've found the cure to that poison you mentioned," he yells back, bringing Annali's eyes up from her Omni-tool.

"On my way," she stops the download and runs into the room, "What do you mean you found it, where is it?" she asks almost desperately.

"Well, I didn't exactly find it but I think we've found the cache holding it. We just have to look through these cabinets and find it. This place seems to be some sort of Medical and Research Clinic," he hypothesizes.

"Whatever it is, we have to look through all of them as fast as we can. I don't know when the next guy is coming in so we have to act fast," she states. Walking to the opposite cabinet she finds more vials, "Get to work," she orders. Together, they fly through each side in just half an hour, with each cabinet came more and more vials stuffed together tightly, surprising none of them cracked.

Already, Annali and Ma'Rice were getting tired of doing the same thing over and over again; scan, move one, scan, move on, scan, etc.

"How many of these vials do they have? I think we just went through at least 100 of them," he looks down the hall to find he's still nowhere near the end. And then there's the wall of cabinets at the end that they still needed to get through, "Isn't there a computer around here that can tell us where a specific vial is?" as he finishes the sentence, he turns to face a small monitor on his side facing him.

"If there was we would've seen it already," Annali says.

Ma'Rice approaches the small monitor and waves his hand over it. The screen comes to life, the Cerberus symbol appearing first before switching to a 3d layout of the hall with a text box on the top. He interprets this as 'Search Database…' from this he feels a wave of embarrassment wash over him, "Annali, about that terminal I mentioned before…"

He hears Annali breathe a sigh of frustration, "You found it didn't you?" she asks coldly.

"Yeah," he chuckles nervously.

Annali shuts the cabinet violently and walks over to Ma'Rice, taking a look at the monitor in front of him, "What does it say? What is it?" she asks.

"It's a database holding the vials in this room. I think we can narrow down the vial we're looking for if we type it in," he hypothesizes, "What was the poison we're looking for?" he asks as he types in a few letters.

"I think it was Botulinum. Botulinum Anti-toxin," she answers. She watches as Ma'Rice types in the words, each tap of the keys making Annali's anticipation grow even more. They're so close to getting it.

He finishes typing and enters the keywords into the database. A hiss goes off as one of the cabinets opens behind them from the end of the hallway, a vial shoots up from the compartment with a ding sound going off as it rises.

"That must be it," Annali suggests as she walks towards it.

"We're not sure if it really is the cure. We should look for the root while we still can. Just to be sure," Ma'Rice suggests.

"But this is it, isn't it? You typed it in didn't you?" she asks.

"I think I did but I can never tell with these human symbols," Ma'Rice responds.

"Well it would have said otherwise if it wasn't in the database so surely this is it," she takes the vial from the cabinet and opens a pouch on her belt and places the vial inside, "There, we have the Anti-toxin. Now let's get out of here before-"

"Who's there?! We have an intruder, casualties listed!"

"Oh come on!" Annali unclips the Vindicator and opens the door. She spots the Cerberus trooper and raises her rifle to fire but another troop ambushes her from the right, grabbing hold of the rifle, "Crap!" she pushes the Cerberus troop against the wall and pushes the rifle against his neck.

"Kill this prick!" the Cerberus soldier yells.

Annali realizes the plan and remembers the soldier she was about to kill. Looking behind her the soldier takes aim. Her eyes widen as she stares down the barrel fo the gun but shock turns to relief as his head explodes into a gush of red. She realizes Ma'Rice is the one who shot him as he walks out with the sniper pointed toward the door.

The soldier takes her distraction and drives a knee into her gut, winding her temporarily. Annali falls to the floor clutching her midsection, trying to catch her breath. The soldier takes out his knife and raises it over his head, ready to drive into her head but his chest jerks back suddenly as Ma'Rice fires a round into him. Ma'Rice wraps his arms around Annali's and hoists her back up on her feet.

"Next time, wait for me. Cause next time they might take you a lot quicker before I can get to you," Ma'Rice tells her.

Annali clutches her gut and groans, giving him a nod in understanding, "Noted. Let's get out of here, I think that Cerberus trooper gave away our presence," she warns, picking up her rifle from the floor after the short scuffle.

"Agreed, let's move out of here. Did you get the data?" he asks.

"Not all of it. I was nearly done. I can get the rest if I do a Flash-download but that might set off the alarm," she explains.

"Doesn't matter at this point, our presence has been alerted and we have to get everything we can from this place," Ma'Rice says, making his way toward the door.

"Where are you going?" she asks.

"I'll be our eyes outside. I'll alert if anyone comes our way, just get that data whatever way you can," he jams in a new clip into his sniper and walks out the door.

Annali walks up to the computer and starts downloading the remaining data from it.

97% downloaded!

" _Can't this thing hurry up, I don't have the patience for this-"_

*Bang* *Bang*

" _Or the time"_

Gunfire continues to go off as Ma'Rice fends off the Cerberus attackers. She can hear the static voices coming from them as they scurry to get into position, only for some to get cut off with a silent groan along with the whizz of Ma'Rice's fire. Every second the fighting seems to get closer and closer toward the doors. The constant fear of someone besides Ma'Rice coming in amounts ever more with each shuffle outside in the constant exchange of fire.

"Come on, only one more, just one percent more and we can leave," she waits impatiently as the 99% stays as it is, " _What is taking so lo-"_

The doors suddenly open and in comes, the one thing she was hoping wouldn't come in, "Get away from the console!" the trooper asks as he points his Mattock at Annali.

Annali remains frozen for the moment until the trooper's head jerks to the side and falls, revealing Ma'Rice behind him with a pistol pointing in the area where his head used to be, "What's taking so long?" he asks, taking quick glances behind him.

"Exactly what I was about to ask. Nearly there, we're so close!" she tells him.

"How much?" he ducks as a bullet whizzes over him.

"Just one more percent!" the bar is so close to the end, "Just turn!" she yells impatiently at the computer. And with that, the screen turns green.

*Download Complete!*

"Got it! Let's get out of here!" Ma'Rice fires a few shots off, getting a trooper in the head as he falls back inside the safety of the building, "What's our exit strategy?" he asks.

"Seeing as how these guys know we're here, we can't allow them to tell their high command of our presence here," she explains as she types away at her Omni-tool.

"What are you doing?" he asks curiously.

"You up for a good sprint? " she asks him plainly. She flicks off her Omni-tool and reaches for her rifle on her back. She breathes a quick huff and turns to Ma'Rice.

"Why?"

"Cause I just called for an orbital strike on our position!" she tells him plainly.

Ma'Rice looks at her with a terrified look on his face, "Fuck," he shakes his head and puts on his helmet. They stand next to the door they first came in through and ready their weapons. Annali peaks out and sees a whole squad of Cerberus soldiers closing in on them. They fire and she jerks her head back inside. The two Turians exchange glances and nod before running out into the open.

"RUN!"

As soon as the doors open they sprint toward the lookout tower from where they first came. The Cerberus squad rain them in fire as they sprint toward the fence. Annali slides through as well as Ma'Rice as they keep their momentum up, running up past the rock they first took cover in and into the forest.

"Why did you call an orbital strike when we're so close, no actually, IN the kill zone?!" Ma'Rice asks as he jumps over a fallen tree.

"No one gets out alive. I can't risk compromising our military presence here which is how I got Caepraka to carry it out," she explains.

"I don't see how she would even agree with that!" he states.

Annali collapses the rifle in her hand straps it to her back, flipping up her console and linking a call, "Pilot, we need an emergency extraction 370 degrees NNW of our location, how copy?!" she yells into the comms only to hear static.

" ***tzzk* Copy squad leader! Sending you rendezvous coordinates now!"**

Her HUD becomes updated with the given coordinates, "No, we need to be extracted now! I've requested an orbital strike near our position so I need you to come in close and pick us up!" she quickly explains.

" ***tzzk* Copy that Squad Leader, coming in hot!"** A sonic boom goes off in the sky as soon as he is done speaking. Annali and Ma'Rice look up to see the shuttle shoot down past the clouds, not slowing down but coming right at them, **"Squad Leader, get ready for exfil!"** the shuttle guns unfold from their compartments.

"Pilot what are you doing?" Annali asks now confused.

" ***tzzk* Making an LZ, Mam!"** the shuttle fires a few meters away from them, blowing away the trees in that area. The shuttle ceases fire and the nose jerks up violently as it tries to slow down. The underbelly thrusters ignite, slowing the shuttle down dramatically as it gracefully descends down to the ground. The side door opens to reveal the interior of the shuttle, **"Get in, I just received the warning of the orbital strike mam! We have half a minute before the Trianis unleashes hell!"** the pilot warns.

"We're coming in! Get ready to get out of here!" Annali yells. Ma'Rice sprints ahead of her and jumps in, taking the sniper rifle on his back and firing off a few shots toward the incoming Cerberus forces.

"Get us out of here, pilot!" Ma'Rice shouts toward the pilot.

Annali dives toward the shuttle and slides in, hitting her back on the other side of the shuttle, "GO!" Annali shouts.

"Yes, Mam!" the pilot acknowledges her and the shuttle begins to lift off, meanwhile, Ma'Rice continues firing at the oncoming Cerberus forces. Annali joins in him holding them off as she takes aim with her Vindicator and fires into the forest until the doors close in front of them.

"15 seconds to orbital bombardment!" the shuttle pilot shouts. The shuttle quickly shoots up into the sky, ascending fast into the clouds and disappearing from view. Occasionally a few bullets would hit the shuttle hull but they were clear of the first wave.

"Don't fly up Pilot! We're still in their line of fire, focus on getting us out of it!" Annali instructs the pilot.

"Acknowledged!" the shuttle twists to the left just as something flies by at amazing speed.

"Whoa!" Annali cries out. The clouds light up into many yellow dots, almost like a firework show, suddenly. But then they die down, "What the hell was that?" she asks.

"I believe they are already firing, hang on!" Multiple blue projectiles shoot through the clouds, narrowly missing the shuttle as the Pilot dodges the incoming fire.

"I told you to not fly us up!" Annali struggles to stay on her feet as the sudden jerks to right and left threaten to bring her down.

"I suggest you sit in the co-pilot seat, Mam!" the pilot says as he jerks the shuttle to left violently to avoid getting hit. Another round of lights goes off in the clouds, signaling another barrage.

"Evasive Maneuvers!" Annali shouts.

"Way ahead of you!" the shuttle does a barrel roll to the right as more incoming fire rains around them. The air is filled with booming noises as the ship's firepower pounds the surface of the planet.

"How far are we from breaking the atmosphere?" Annali asks.

"Just another 6,000 meters. We've nearly cleared the clouds," the pilot states. The shuttle jerks to the left and dives down under a shot then makes another evade to the right, "3,000 meters!" the fire keeps on coming down on them.

The shuttle emerges from the clouds and makes its way out of the line of fire of the Trianis. As the shuttle ascends, an incoming call is pending, "Must be the Captain, I'll establish the line for you," the pilot taps the pulsing orange hologram to accept the call. The Captain's face appears on the holographic screen.

" **Officer Veren, glad to see you made it out in one piece,"** Caepraka expresses her relief.

"Just barely. I managed to retrieve the Anti-toxin and am en-route to the Trianis," Annali informs her.

" **Good to hear it, now we don't have to worry about losing the Engineer. That won't stand well for our alliance with the humans,"** she expresses her concern.

"I wouldn't jeopardize it for anything, Mam," Annali responds.

" **Good. Get that anti-toxin to Tereshkova as quickly as possible, I hear he isn't faring well with the poison. Montero is doing everything he can to ease Max's pain. Caepraka out,"** the line cuts.

Annali plops back down on the chair, her fear of being too late to save her Human lover is starting to come true. Not on her watch, "Pilot, gun it for the Trianis. I need to get this cure to the Engineer now!" Annali orders sternly.

"Mam, I can't dock going at top speed, I might risk us crashing into the Trianis besides docking with it-" the pilot voices the precautions.

"We don't have time to argue, go just below the top speed this thing can go then reverse us so we can slow down enough to dock," Annali orders, strapping on the belts on the chair.

The Pilot thinks about it for a second, unsure if it will work. It's only off the top of the head but he can't defy a direct order, "Ah to hell with it," the pilot pushes the thrusters to the max, pushing everyone against the back of their seat and Ma'Rice against the wall as he didn't make it to the seat belt part.

"What are you guys doing?!" Ma'Rice shouts as he attempts to fight the inertia holding him back.

"Just hold on Ma'Rice, we're nearly there!" Annali assures him.

The shuttle makes its approach toward the docking area, each second the ship gets closer and closer, "Alright, hang on to your stomachs, this might get a bit… inverted, for the moment," with that he types in a few commands to the console and grips the throttle next to him tightly, "And… now," the shuttle tilts upside down, the artificial gravity struggles to keep everyone toward the floor but with most of the power going to the thrusters, there's not much to keep everyone from experiencing zero-g, "Activating under-belly thrusters and shutting off main engines," he yanks the throttle he's been clutching back and the thrusters underneath the shuttle blast into existence, pushing the nose of the shuttle down and facing it toward the planet, "Reactivating main thrusters to max!" he pushes the throttle forward and the Engines come back to life, pushing the shuttle forward in an attempt to slow it down from crashing into the Trianis.

Soon Inertia takes effect again and pushes everyone to the back of their seats, "This… is very… unpleasant…" Annali says as she grits her teeth, trying to fight the physics pulling her organs to the back of her body.

The shuttle slows down just enough to dock, the pilot notices this and adjusts the shuttle alignment with the underbelly of the ships dock, "There *huff* that was easy," he says playfully.

Annali stares at him with an astonished look on her face, "You pilots are beyond my comprehension," she shakes her head in disbelief as she unfastens the belts tightly holding her against the chair. Standing up on wobbly feet, she opens the cockpit doors to see Ma'Rice splayed out on the floor, "You okay?" she asks.

"Never better, Ugh," Ma'Rice groans as he gets up slowly, stumbling as he stands up fully, "I've been in rougher rides though," he massages the back of his neck.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Annali asks.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Go get that anti-toxin to Max, quick. If what the Captain says is true then he may not have enough time," Ma'Rice gestures for her to go as the shuttle doors open to the bay.

"Right, oh and here," she hands Ma'Rice a small chip, "I uploaded the data to this chip so give it to the Captain for me will you?" Annali doesn't wait for a response and darts toward the elevator.

A few Turians exchange glances as she darts out the shuttle and into the elevator. Annali quickly puts in the Med-Bay floor into the console, instantly the elevator begins to ascend up but rather at a slow start, "Even with electromagnetic rails this thing is ridiculously slow," she bangs the console out of frustration. Annali decides to call Adam to see how Max is doing. Her only fear is that she's too late, Spirits forbid that, " _I'm almost scared to ask,"_ she tells herself. Hesitantly, she calls and watches as the call pends, waiting for Adam's response.

The screen changes to Adam's face, "Veren, I heard you got back. Did you get the root?" he asks.

"Even better, we discovered a Cerberus facility on the surface as we were making our way to the location you suggested. We snuck in and found the vial of anti-toxin and in the process, we managed to steal some Cerberus data from their mainframe," Annali pauses, hesitant to ask the question, "Is… there still time for Max?" she asks, her voice nearly cracks but she keeps it straight.

"The poison is taking a toll on him, I've been giving him antibiotics but it can only do so much but stall it for short periods of time. It's good that you got that vial, that way I can give it to him immediately," he explains.

Annali breathes a sigh of relief, thankful she wasn't too late, "Thank the spirits, can I talk to him?" she asks.

"You can when you get here. Though not immediately, I had to sedate him into a temporary coma so he wouldn't have to endure the pain. I'd have to say that he refused to go to sleep, he would rather endure it than forget he even had it. The sooner you get here the better. I'll see you here in a bit," Montero's face disappears as the call disconnects.

Annali leans back on the wall as a wave of complete and utter relief washes over her, her head bounces slightly off the wall as the elevator begins to slow down, " _At least he's still here. He wouldn't give up so easily,"_ the doors open and Annali runs out into the hallway leading to the Med-Bay. The doors in front of her open in time as she runs through. Annali frantically looks around for Adam and Max but spots them just a few beds down from where they were last time, "Here you go Montero," she hands Adam the vial.

"Alright, let me get my Injector," he takes the vial and walks away toward the locker.

Annali walks over next to Max's bed, looking down at him she sees some discoloration to his skin; the color that once gave her comfort looked almost pale white. He must have been in the later stages of the toxin in order for this to take effect. She caresses his soft cheek, wishing she could feel it but her armor restrains her from being able to, " _You'll be okay Max, I know it,"_ she hears Adam making his way over to them.

"Alright, I'll give him the cure and then we'll wait till he wakes up on his own. The sedation should wear off in a half an hour," Adam screws the vial onto the small gun. Taking Max's arm, he injects the needle into his arm and shoots the anti-toxin into him, "There we go. If you want, you can wait for him to wake up here or spend some time elsewhere," Adam suggests.

An idea pops into Annali's mind, thinking back to how Max got the toxin in him in the first place. Her brow plates furrow, her nose twitches in irritation and she turns to Adam as he scans Max, "I know where I'm going," she turns to leave but stops just before the door, "Notify me if Max wakes up early will you?" she asks as she turns and leaves.

"Sure thing Veren," Adam nods before going back to scanning Max.

[

Ja'quar looks up from the table, his hands handcuffed to them, to see a woman in full turquoise armor step in, followed by another guard with a rifle in hand but she sways him away. He pays attention toward the masked figure as she sits down in front of him. He smiles and chuckles while neither of the two occupants says anything in response, "You really think hiding behind a mask is going to fool me, Annie? You're more gullible than I thought," he snorts, not the least bit intimidated.

The armored woman doesn't respond, instead, she flips up her Omni-tool and types in a few commands, not paying any attention toward Ja'quar.

"You just going to sit there, torture me with silence? If I'm supposed to talk then you're doing a bad job at-" he's cut off when he hears the ventilation shut down, the hissing of air escaping the room all too familiar.

Annali sits up straight this time and rests her head on her right hand, "I don't intend on listening to you anymore so say what you want while you still can," she tells him. The purpose of her helmet was never so obvious to him and at that point, he had realized it too late.

"Y-you can't… *gasp* can't…" Ja'quar struggles to breathe as the air escapes from his lungs. Unable to go anywhere with his restraints he tries desperately to cry out to her but finds no possible way to speak.

"Keep talking," she says carelessly as she leans against her chair, looking at her gloved hands as if she were inspecting her talons.

Ja'quar's hearing begins to ring, without the air for sound to travel through he can barely hear himself wheeze and choke on nothing. His only way at salvation was to admit the very thing he very well knew she would come for. Her appearance in the isolation chamber was so obvious and yet he didn't anticipate her to kill him so coldly and inhumanely.

There's no other way.

"I'll… tell y-you…" he struggles to say, his mind feeling lightheaded.

"I'm sorry what was that? You were going to tell me something?" she asks, looking away from her hands.

"I'll… TELL YOU!" his falls to the table as his brain begins to fall into a coma. But then salvation calls as the sound of ventilation restarts and air begins flowing into the room. His lungs catch the air, waking him as he gasps and breathes heavily, his lungs desperately trying to get oxygen to the body, "*cough* *pant* ohhh," he groans dizzily.

Annali steps up from the chair, calmly walking around the table to Ja'quar's side. She crouches down next to him. Ja'quar tries to lift his head up but gets pushed down forcefully by Annali's powerful right arm, nearly breaking his nose in the process, "Now you're going to tell me how you got that anti-toxin onboard or else I will not bring back the air should you refuse to cooperate," she lets go of him, allowing him to lift his head up, "You got me?" she asks rhetorically.

Ja'quar swallows nervously, with everything that she just did in the past few seconds, he knows she won't hesitate at all to enter the command, "I… f-… fine…" he submits.

Annali takes off her helmet and gently places it in front of him, just a few inches from his hands, "Good boy," she gives a wry smile but then it falls down to an emotionless state. Ja'quar gulps before trying to say something but stops suddenly, still shaken after his ordeal. Annali gives a sigh of frustration and walks over to him, placing a hand on his shoulder and leaning down just enough so he can hear her whisper, "Think what you want but I am not the bad guy here. Not too long ago did I see someone I deeply cared about nearly die because of some fool who thought it was a good idea to express his hate toward humans by killing one. You were lucky Max showed compassion for you but I will not. Not after everything I had to deal with because of you and after what you tried to do to him," she lets her words sink into him before continuing, "I'm not who you really thought I was, huh?" she asks almost playfully.

Ja'quar looks up from looking down and turns just enough so his left eye could meet hers. His cold gray ones meeting her blue ones, "If I told you… you wouldn't understand what it feels like to… live without a guide," his words perplex Annali, never expecting that to come from him.

"What do you mean I wouldn't understand?" she asks, her curiosity taking over.

"I… this is… everything I've done… I don't know what's bad or good for me or anyone. I had no one to tell me otherwise," he explains, looking away back at the helmet.

"No one? What about what me, the Captain, Ma'Rice, what about everyone who's been telling you to stop being such a little shit. You should've figured that out long ago," she goes full force on him, not caring for whatever excuse he'll come up with.

"I mean that I never had anyone to teach me…" he strains on the 'never' word.

Annali wonders if he meant more by that and pushes more for the answer, "Didn't your parents teach you how to play nice?" she asks.

"That's just it, I never had any parents to teach me anything," he states coldly. Annali breathes in sharply now fully understanding his actions. There was no one to teach him about respecting those of lower rank or identical to his. No one to teach him to tell from right and wrong, "I grew up not knowing anything about setting goals or creating motives for myself. I've really just let everything happen. Whatever I did I didn't care as long as I got my way. I felt betrayed and I was paranoid that whoever I met would betray me one day. I was handed to someone, an acting-father, to care about me. He didn't teach me anything except to look out for yourself," he explains further, keeping his gaze on Annali's helmet in front of him, "When I was old enough to start basic training, my 'father' decided it was a good idea to toughen me up by kicking me out of the apartment. All I had was a bag full of clothes and some credits to help me on my way. So right then and there I decided to go and sign up into the Special forces, thought I would learn what it meant to be looked out for… to be cared for. Instead I was left behind on my first mission to quell an uprising on one of the inner colonies," Annali heard of the uprising, the Hierarchy wanted to silence their leader, a radical activist that thought becoming a the first independent colony in centuries would surely gather support from other colonies to start their own radical idea of a Hierarchy.

Ja'quar continues, "We killed the leader but drew too much attention to ourselves and we were caught in a skirmish between the local police and the activists. Our transport was on a rooftop so we had to fight our way through while running from an angry mob of violent activists. When we got to the top, the transport was hovering a foot over our heads so we had to climb up and get on. I was doing a good job at keeping the enemy from rushing our position while my teammates attempted to haul our wounded. I held them off long enough for them to get the injured on. When I withdrew from my position I made a run for the shuttle which was about to take off. I jumped up and just barely grabbed the edge and started pulling myself up, I reached my hand out so that my teammates could pull me up but… they just watched as I pleaded for them to help me. I thought they were my friends…" he pauses, his anger showing in his eyes. Annali knew what betrayal meant but by how he was telling his story meant that he suffered more than what she could imagine.

"Did they abandon you?" she asks.

"That would be a great first guess… if they hadn't tortured me first," Annali is confused by his sentence, "They watched as I struggled to get on, and when I managed to get upper torso on, they stopped me…" he pauses again. His breathing becomes heavy and fast, "Our leader looked at me through my visor and I through his, I was expecting him to pull me up but he did the last thing I would never expect…" he pauses, his hands turn into fists as the anger builds up inside him.

Annali waits patiently for him as she walks back to the other side of the table and sits, "What did he do?" she asks.

"He first said 'we need a distraction, boy'… then pushed me off the craft and down… into the crowd…" he finishes painfully. His fists degrade back into loose hands. All signs of his anger are gone.

With the story at a close, Annali leans back in her chair. She did not anticipate to crack Ja'quar so swiftly. Her original prediction was that he was going to try something stupid as he had always done but she must have touched a spot in his mind that opened him up and show these emotions. Anger and betrayal. After that experience, she could see why he is who he is now. However, she knew he must have endured much more. Though his hate for others of his own kind is minimal, everything that led up to now must have made him hateful of other species.

Annali is hesitant to ask another question to verify his explanation but then the thought stops her, "That's a good story and all but that still doesn't explain how you got the most toxic substance known to Mankind. No way you could have sneaked that in after security checked everything in everyone's luggage," she states, hoping she might have disproven his life story as a mere excuse.

Ja'quar breathes a heavy sigh and looks up from the table, "A friend of mine gave me the vial before I left for the Trianis. He knew there was an exchange program going on so he gave it to me as a 'precaution' I guess you could say," he explains boringly.

Annali's brow-plates furrow in suspicion, "A friend? Does he live on Illium?" she asks.

"No, he visited me before I left," he responds.

"Where does he live?" she asks.

Silence fills the room, Ja'quar eyes drop down to the table, possibly in deep thought. Annali senses he doesn't want to say but she really wants to find his accomplice. She gets up and props herself on her arms and breathes an impatient sigh, "Ja'quar," she says in a stern voice, "I want to know where he is and what his name is. In order to move on from here you have to tell me right now at this moment," she tells him impatiently.

Ja'quar doesn't respond for a few seconds until he looks up at her, "Do you have an Access pad?" he asks. Annali gives him a confused look, unsure as to why he would want a pad, "If you want your guy I can make it easier to narrow him down," he explains further. Annali's face changes from confusion to one of uncertainty.

Regardless, she takes the pad from her belt and hands it to his cuffed hands. He looks down at it and touches it with his fingertips. The datapad comes to life as he touches it. After a few minutes of typing, he pushes the pad to her; an image and description of the accomplish can be seen. A Turian with elegant white markings coming down from his head down to his mandibles and curving back across his cheek.

"Is this him?" she asks as she takes the pad from the table.

"…yes…" he answers, looking away, "Just… make sure he doesn't find out it was me who ratted him out," he pleads emotionlessly.

"You're not ratting him out, you're helping me capture a criminal," Annali says. She opens the door and hands the datapad to one of the guards, "Take this to the Captain," she orders.

"Yes, mam," he nods and walks away.

Before Annali closes the door she turns to Ja'quar and says, "You aren't the only one who has gone through tough times," Ja'quar looks up at her expectantly, "I was… like you; hateful of humans and thought they were all a bad influence on the galaxy. But then I met one and… I found out they weren't as bad I thought they were. Something Engineer Tereshkova said to me once is when you meet someone new you don't judge them by how they look, but by how they are," she prepares to close it before saying, "Don't judge a book by its cover before you read it," with that, the door closes.

Ja'quar thinks about the human expression and its meaning. Something he should learn, yes, but how can he embrace the change and how will others see him once he does change. After 5 years, he finally meets morality for the first time in a long time.

"Perhaps…" he whispers to himself.

[

" **Veren, I have received the suspect data and have contacted C-Sec. They're preparing to make the arrest so be thankful we have the accomplice taken care of. I hear Engineer Tereshkova is faring well, the anti-toxin is doing its job?"** Caepraka asks on the comm.

"Yes, he's doing fine. He's recovering well. He says Humans heal faster when they are asleep, I'm having a hard time believing him, mam," Annali states.

" ***chuckle* Human exaggeration. In any case, I see it best that he takes his time to recover fully before going back to work. Also, I have received the data you recovered from the surface. What you recovered sheds more light on the mystery of the Cerberus presence in this system,"** Caepraka explains.

"What is it do you think they're doing here if you don't mind me asking?"

" **We have speculation that there may be biological experiments going on but now since we have this extra data, we have a lead on a possible Command Center, however, it's also under speculation. We'll have to keep scouting the planet for any other clues on this Command Center,"** she explains.

"After all this don't you think we should've found the base already? I mean we've sent countless scout drones down to the planet and all have come up with nothing," Annali states.

" **What are you suggesting Veren?"**

"I mean they may have a type of cloaking device that envelops the base, effectively avoiding our orbital scans. Hence, why we haven't found them yet," Annali suggests.

Caepraka stays silent for a while, taking the possibility into account, **"Your suspicion may be right Veren. I'll talk with the other Captains and discuss this topic, we may have to re-double our efforts if we're going to find this Command Center… if it exists,"** she states.

"There has to be a Command Center, there can't just be random outposts on this planet just because. If the data suggests there is a Command Center then there most likely is," she explains her suspicion.

" **Perhaps, in any case, we must stand fast of the potential danger. The longer we wander around the greater the chances are our cover will be blown,"** she warns.

"We might've already given away our presence when we faced that…" she trails off suddenly.

" **Veren?"**

"That Cerberus fleet must have given away our position when we were disabled. They must have notified the Space Station to escape, explaining why we haven't detected it," Annali theorizes, however, she holds doubt on it.

" **We may have been compromised, yes, but even if we were, why would they be taking their time on us. There are no signs showing we've been discovered as of now. All the more to keep our eyes peeled for anything suspicious or… alluring to us, if you catch my drift,"** Caepraka hints.

"Understood, Mam," Annali nods in agreement.

" **Good, I have Chance still scanning the data as we speak so I'll post you when things have turned up. Caepraka out,"** with that, her face disappears from the screen. Leaving Annali to herself in her room.

Annali let out a breath of exhaustion and leaned back on her chair, bringing her hands to her face in a feeble attempt to block herself from reality. Everything had become so complicated so fast ever since she got on the ship; she became friends with the person she hated the most and ultimately had sex with him, nearly lost him on a supposed simple mission, survived the attack on the flotilla, nearly lost her lover again after Ja'quar poisoned him, and escaped the orbital bombardment while doing so. So much in just a few weeks. Not to say it wasn't exhilarating but it was just becoming too much for her to handle.

" _Wait, what? Too much to handle? No, it's going to take a lot more than this to break me… damn, if only I was more sure of myself on that,"_ her thought was clouded with loneliness again. Usually, Max was there to comfort her as he always did. She missed his warm, gentle hands on her shoulders, how they traveled up from her shoulders to her neck and then swooping down to her chest in a humorous action to grope her. She chuckled at the awkwardness when he first realized what he was trying to do. It was amusing to see him miss such parts that would make up a woman. It then dawned on her that Max did way more than anyone else could for her; he helped her move on from grieving her mother after so many years had gone by, he taught her how to forgive others and then… herself, he had endured the same life as she had but far worse and yet he managed to work past his hate where she could not, he kept her from killing Ja'quar because he knew that she knew that would bring her back to square one. Max had done so much for her… and what had she done to return the favor? The thought made her feel like she was taking his kindness for granted, Annali wanted nothing more than to thank him, " _He's done so much for me, it's best that I express my gratitude to him,"_ Annali gets up from her seat and grabs her jacket, swinging it over her head and slipping her arms through the sleeves. Walking out, she closes and locks the door since she doesn't intend on sleeping alone.

[

"Well, it seems your immune system is recovering well Max. The anti-toxin is definitely doing its job in eradicating the toxin. You should be good to go roll tomorrow," Adam explains with a confident smile.

"Glad to hear that, Doc. At least I can get some good sleep without worrying about my post," Max explains.

"Indeed. I'll be leaving to my dorm now, I haven't caught a break in a while. If you need anything you know how to contact me," Adam states. Max gives a nod and taps his wrist where his Omni-tool band is, "Good. Tullvus might come around to check up on you so you won't feel lonely in here," the sound of the door swishing open comes right after his sentence.

Annali walks in and regards Adam, "Hello doctor, is Max doing well?" she asks.

"Yes mam, I expect a full recovery tomorrow," Adam explains with some glee in his voice.

"Good, this is going to be a long week so we're going to need everyone on duty," Annali states, looking at Max, "And that means no more long-term breaks now," she looks directly at Max this time.

"Fine, I could make do with the silence in my little bunker in the Engine room," Max says with a hurtful tone to his voice but some playfulness hidden within.

"*chuckle* oh don't be so daft, I'll come by and so will the others, say hi every once in a while, so you don't feel so lonely," Annali teases.

Adam chuckles at their humorous banter, shaking his head, "Well if you want to stay for the night Annali you can, just shut the lights off when you leave to conserve power," Adam says as he begins to walk to the door.

"Of course Montero," Annali says as she watches him leave and disappear behind the doors. Silence fills the room as the two lovers lock eyes again.

"I have a feeling you came here than to just talk, is my assumption accurate, mam?" Max teases.

Annali rolls her blue eyes and sits down on the bed just next to him. Bringing her hands to his, he clasps hers in his, intertwining his fingers with hers. A momentary silence carries on as Max gently caresses her soft warm hands, taking in the texture of her alien skin on his own. Annali surprises Max as she leans down and wraps his arm around her neck, leaving her lying down next to him with his arm comfortably wrapped around her head in a warm embrace.

"It feels like a long time since we've last cuddled together," Annali says as she nuzzles his chest and cranes her neck to caress his arm.

"Work has a way of getting in the way," he replies. He feels Annali inch closer to his body, her legs intertwining with his, being very careful not to poke him with her spurs.

"It's kinda cold, I hope you don't mind."

"Not at all, I'd prefer your company over anyone else," Annali feels a certain warmth envelop her as she hears his words, feeling giddy as he expresses himself to her.

Annali cups his cheeks and smiles up at him, "Good," her head leans in toward his. Their lips lock into a passionate kiss. His lips were as soft and warm as she remembered and that made her sink deeper into the kiss.

The lights shut off automatically instead as the two lovers continue to ride out the time together within each others embrace. Sinking off slowly into sleep.

Their journey was far from over.

 **Hey, guys!**

 **Sorry, it's been a while since I've written a chapter. If you read my update chapter you'd know why it's taking so long to post. My laptop basically crashed as I was working on both chapters to try and get them done at the same time. When I reopened them, all of my work was gone in a flash. This Chapter was meant to be longer but due to the laptop quitting on me, I just didn't have it in me to re-write all the words I had written. So this chapter may be a bit more concise than I wanted it but, again, due to the crash, it has been really frustrating.**

 **I hope you understand and as always…**

 **Have a nice day ;)**


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

 **0607 A.M. Officers Cabin- PFS Trianis March 26, 2183**

*BEEP*

*BEEP*

*BEEP*

*BE-* * SMASH*

*tzzk*

"*groan*" Max grunts as he wakes up from the comfort of the pillows. The cold air finally hits his face as he lifts himself from the pillows, making his face scrunch in discomfort, "I really need to change the alarm ringtone at some point," he tells himself. His hand raises from the spot he slammed his hand down on the old 21st century alarm he got as a gift from his uncle, "Oh yeah, I forgot. You can't *sigh*" slowly but surely, he manages to swing his legs over and finally gets up from the bed. As he walks over to the counter he hears a another light groan come from the bed, "You up sleepy head?" he asks without looking over his shoulder as he makes himself a cup of coffee.

In the bed is Annali, half-naked but with an oversized red sweater to cover her upper body. She rolls herself onto her back, stretching her arms up in the air and then raising her legs up to touch her talons. Max only watches as she continues her own wake up routine, her sweet and innocent sexy show entertaining him to no end as she stretches her limbs. Annali yawns, bearing her teeth to show and then getting up, wiping her eyes with the extra long sleeve that hung beyond her hands. At this point, she was in a position where she actually made Max stop drinking just by looking cute for no reason, "*yawn* what time is it, love?" she asks as she yawns again and wipes her watery eyes.

Snapping out of his train of thought, Max finally gulps down that last bit of coffee he forgot he had in his mouth, "It's 0607 in the morning. A bit early if you ask me, I thought I set my alarm to later in the day but these old-fashioned clocks just won't cooperate," Max explains as he turns his coffee cup upside down, making sure there isn't any left, "I could've sworn I still had more."

"Did… Mmff… did they announce roll call yet, dearest?" she asks as she stretches her arms in the air. A small chuckle escaping Max as the sweaters super long sleeves hang over her hands and hang down like the inflatable tube man.

"Nah, at least not yet they didn't," he tells her. Suddenly a thought enters his head, "Did you just call me 'dearest'?" Max asks.

"Did I?" Annali asks as she flops back onto her bed, her legs spread to show him her uncovered nethers.

Instinctively, Max rolls his eyes in the opposite direction in respect of her obliviousness to herself, "Must be those old movies we've been watching the past month," Max theorizes.

After the near death experience Max had, Annali has been more attached to him and has gone through nearly every excuse imaginable just to spend some time with him. In order to avoid bringing anymore suspicion to them, Max proposed to watch a movie every few days with her so in that time they could spend more with each other than just the casual check-ups she was supposed to conduct every so often. Some Movies were pulled straight from the time capsule as some were Western, some were action-packed like Jurassic Park… which seemed to really catch Annali's eye. At one point, during a forest chase scene, Annali suddenly scared the living daylights out of Max by tackling him down, bearing her teeth, and making an imitation of a Raptor screech. It nearly sounded like the real thing. So watching the sequels was a no go for Max, instead they watched some comedies like one between an American Man who finds a dog covered in sand while looking around Australia for work. He doesn't want anything to do with the dog but slowly comes to accept him as a friend, what with the dog following him everywhere. Sadly, the man dies in a tragic motorcycle accident without the dog knowing at all, leaving him at his house and promising him he'll be back soon. The dog searches everywhere around Australia looking for him and eventually hithces a ride on a boat to Japan's harbor, hoping to find him. The people who loved the dog spread out everyhwere in search of the dog but to no avail.

Years pass by as the now aged dog gives up his search for his friend and returns to Australia to the hometown where the Union workers work at and know him. The dog goes missing again, and everyone is in a panic and begin to look for him. For a sad, but happy ending, someone finds the dog and calls everyone to the cemetery only to find the dog resting peacefully over his lost friends grave.

This really called for an emotional moment for Annali, on that night after the movie, she wouldn't let go of Max at all, occasionally giving some cries here and there. Who knew comedies can be so sad, right? The only thing that made Annali feel better was at the end of the movie someone found another dog that had the same color fur as their old friends and later named him after the other dog; Red Dog (no kidding).

The movies added some slang terms and new words into Annali's vocabulary and so she had began using them around the ship without her even knowing, earning her a few strange looks from the crew. This being one of many occasions where she used the words 'love' and 'dearest' as ways to call him her boyfriend, "Well it was your idea to show me your Earth films, love," she ends with a British accent.

"Well that's no more Mary Poppins for you. I don't want you to get their accent, I can't bear to here that constantly. You're already showing signs of it," Max says as he walks to the couch and picks up his Omni-tool.

"But it sounds so elegant," she speaks with a British accent.

"Oh god no!" Max quickly covers his ears.

"*giggles* I'm Kidding. I hope you don't mind me talking a little bit in your terminology," Annali sits up with a cheeky smile.

"I don't mind, really, it's cute when you use different words but it does seem to turn a few heads when the crew is around."

"It does?" Annali asks rubbing her head with her long sleeve.

"Heh, yeah it does; I saw you talking to Ma'Rice and Dray and then you finished with 'cheerioh'. Oh the look on their faces was hysterical. I can't believe you really said that," Max chuckles and face palms himself as he remembers.

Annali stares off at the ceiling, trying to recall the time she used that word and remembers, "I heard it was a way of saying goodbye. Isn't that what it means by definition?" she asks, a bit confused.

"Well, yeah but it's still strange when someone who isn't British or Australian says it, especially when someone from another species says it. Though you really do make a good impression of a Brit," Max compliments as he walks toward the bed.

"Thanks," Annali smiles again but with closed eyes as her sleepiness continues to restrain her from waking up fully, "Can you help me up, please? I'm too tired to move at the moment," she asks cutely as she raises her arms outward, her long sleeves still sagging and hanging.

The big sweater makes Max laugh as she reminds him of a child waking up with an oversized sweater from Christmas in the morning just waiting for his dad to pick him up and take him down to the kitchen for breakfast, "Fine, you need to get changed anyway; you're half-naked at the moment and you're late as well. You gotta meet with the Captain I think," Max reminds her.

"Oh yeah, forgot about that," Annali says as Max wraps his arms around her waist and hoists her up, settling her back down and letting her stand up on her own.

"How did you get my sweater anyways?" Max asks, scratching his bare chest where he remembered his sweater was.

"I don't know, really. I guess I'm a really good thief when I sleep, heh," Annali jokes as she takes off the sweater, revealing her fully naked form to him.

"B-better get your clothes on soon, you don't want to be late," Max says scratching his head, embarrassed.

"Why? What's the hurry, I'm sure she could spare a few minutes without me. You can though," Annali looks at him with her sky blue eyes and pulls him in quickly for a kiss.

Max couldn't count the times she's thrown him in bed and let him do as he pleased with her and it wasn't getting old anytime soon. But at the moment, things were more serious, he thought, since he remembered Annali getting a call from Caepraka about meeting her and a few other officers for a summit. From his own first hand experience as an N7, or so he wanted to be called that, he knew these types of meetings were very serious if it meant calling officers from the ship for a meeting.

Max separated from the kiss forcefully and looked at Annali in the eyes, "Annali now is not the time to… do this. You have a summit to get to, come on," Max reminds her again but Annali doesn't give.

"It's fine, besides…" her hand slides down to his crotch where his now not so flaccid member was tenting his sweat pants, "I think your wee friend has other ideas," she traps him.

Max is caught at a crossroads; he doesn't want her to get in trouble but at the same time being left teased isn't something he wants to add in to his work ethic. He gives a defeated grunt signaling Annali she had won him over again. But before she can make a move, Max picks her up and throws her back on the bed, "Whoa, a little agitated I see," Annali giggles as he bends her over; her lower half hanging off the bed while her upper half rests on the warm blankets.

Max notices her deliriousness as she continues giggling. Looking back at the couch, he sees an entire bottle of Turian Brandy and another bottle of Tequila lying next to each other, empty. She must have drunk the entire thing and was still hungover. If her superiors see her iike this then it could spell bad for both of them. He had to snap her out of it, "Want to wake up?" he asks as his crotch rubs her own sex, exciting her.

"Oh yes, please do," she smiles up at him.

Pulling down his pants he reveals his erect member to her sex, prodding her entrance and earning a few moans from her, "Good morning, Annali," he says as he thrusts in.

"Ahhn!"

[

…

" _Mmmyeaahhh….… like that….. Sssoooo biiiig…. ~oh….. Mmmmhh…. Ah….. faster…. AH!…. that hits the spot… fuck….. more… harder, now…. Annali….. yes… Annali… almost there….. so good….. Annali….. It's so… Annali… FUCK!... nearly…. Annali!... there…. Spirits!... Annali!... MMMMMAAAAAAHHH!... ANNALI!"_

"ANNALI!"

Annali's eyes shoot open and she sits straight in her chair. She was in a meeting, "OH, uh, were you calling me?" she asks, embarrassed.

"Yes, you dozed off on us there. So do you think we should do it or not?" Caepraka asks her.

Annali was oblivious as to what the question was so she responds with, "Yeah, oh yeah, sure, go right ahead," her response gets her a few weird looks from the other officers sitting around her.

Caepraka looks at the others then back to Veren, her face giving an 'are-you-serious?' look, "Are you sure?" she asks again, hinting Annali to think about her response.

"Um… yeah?" Annali confirms hesitantly.

"Did you not hear what we were just discussing about?" Caepraka asks calmly. Annali's mouth opens to speak but then closes, nothing to say. Caepraka gives a sigh of frustration, "Then you're agreeing that we call off this coalition with the Alliance?" she explains.

Annali's eyes widen in astonishment at the very idea of breaking off the partnership. It would mean she would be separated from Max, everything that had been working up to that point would've been some dramatic episode from those dramas she watched her sister watch, "What? Nononono, I don't think that's really the best course of action for our Alliance with the Humans. We can't just all of a sudden be friends and then after a month we just break up. This would have all been a waste of our time," Annali defends her statement. She was not about to let the summit break her relationship with him. No way.

"Luckily, you agree with the rest of us. I was just merely asking if anyone wanted to go home. I was surprised when you said yes, but of course you changed it. It didn't seem right for you to answer like that," Caepraka explains.

"Yeah, especially since your partner is human and all. I thought, 'damn, that's cold' I actually thought you were going to break up with him," A male Turian interjects.

Annali looks at him with a serious face, killing his smirkiness then and there, "Okay, enough. Now is not the time to get personal. We have other important matters to attend to. Like what one of the Kilimanjaro's tech specialists found in the data recovered by Officer Veren a few weeks earlier. Chance, you may go ahead," Caepraka motions for him to get up.

The Corporal fumbles with his Omni-tool band and straps it back on, "Ah yes, thank you Captain, eh, hello, everyone," he greets in his Finnish accent. The screen on the other side of the room opposite of the Captain lights up in a bright blue. Chance flips up his Omni-tool and brings images to the screen, most being documents of some research, "Okay, em, after my search through the Cerberus data I have uncovered some documents holding logs of research progression. The research being what I could interpret as Genetic engineering," Chance explains.

The officers begin whispering to each other as he finishes, wondering what Cerberus could be planning to do with such research. Annali wonders this as well, her only guess could be that they're creating some sort of alien monster possibly. Maybe they could be trying to revive a dinosaur species, " _Nono, too many movies, Annali. Think straight, what else could they be looking for?"_ she asks herself.

Chance continues on, "I read the documents and have found that many species DNA samples have been collected and "pruified." I don't know what it means by 'purify' but I can only guess it means gathering the STEM cells of the other races. That being; the Salarians, Asari, Krogan, Volus, Turian…"

"Turian?" an officer speaks up.

"Yes, as well as Human Stem cells. The area where Officer Veren obtained the data was a lab that was refining and purifying the cells," he explains.

"And what does this mean?" another officer asks.

"I'm not entirely sure as to the exact goal. The data suggests it is for racial profiling at a cellular scale but I am highly doubtful that is the case," Chance explains.

The room echoes with officers attempting to figure out the true motives of Cerberus, "Wait, in order to obtain a person's Stem cells doesn't someone have to… you know…" a female officer trails off, making it quite clear what she meant.

"To harvest Stem cells you can get it in certain parts of the body like the bone marrow, the brain, blood, umbilical cord blood, liver, those parts. To get a lot of Stem cells from someone you'd have to…" Chance trails off, unsure as if to continue. Hesitantly, he continues, "You'd need to harvest nearly the entire body of the subject. And if what I read in the data is true, then… they have tanks filled with the Stem cells of our own species. I estimate, probably, a few 100,000 people it would take to get at least 20 gallons worth. Probably more," Chance stops and shuts off the screen.

The room is filled with silence as reality sets in again. Caepraka breathes heavily in disbelief, her morality questioning the reality of Cerberus's actions, "Damn… then this is much serious than I thought," she tells herself.

" _ **Agreed,"**_ a gruff voice goes off over the speaker. It's Captain Colt, _**"This is much serious than we originally thought. Not only has Cerberus committed genocide but as well as a great war crime. This cannot be a reenactment of the Holocaust. With every minute we waste in orbit we lose more of our people to this inhumane science project,"**_ Colt states boldly.

"I agree with you, Captain Colt. I suggest we re-double our efforts again in order to stop Cerberus in its tracks," Caepraka suggests.

" _ **I agree with you but we must focus our efforts somewhere, not just reconnaissance. Do you have anything else that might help us, Corporal?"**_ Colt asks.

"I did find a Comm log, sir. I meant to talk about this as well with you, this just seemed too important to just let it slide," Chance pulls up the screen again.

" _ **What have you got, son?"**_

Chance pulls up another document, a series of paragraphs trailing down and marked with ID's, "As I read through the log I found out that the call was made a week prior to the start of our coalition on Illium. This was made with a few others as well and they all had a warning for the person on the other end. It was to watch out for someone with high rank; an N7," the last detail creates some frowns among the officers as well as Annali.

"What does it mean? They called someone on Illium to look out for a human specialist, so what?" Annali asks.

"Well, they mentioned something about a covert military coalition. Sound familiar to you?" Chance asks.

The officers look at each other again, unsure whether to believe him, "So you're saying Cerberus somehow knew about our operation? I have to ask, if they warned to watch out for an N7, where were they referring to; was there was an N7 on Illium or on a ship?" the officer asks.

This question brings an uneven silence, no one says a thing or breathes an exhale. Even the static can be heard on the comm; Colt is left silent on the line. Annali thinks about the possibility of an Alliance special agent on the mission but how could there be one now. Annali thinks back before their departure from Illium and then during the mission's but nothing gives her a hint if there was an N7 in their midst. The only humans she knows are Captain Colt, the Lt. she met with on the surface, Corporal Chance, Medic Montero, and… Max. Before she could even make an assumption, Colt's voice sounds through the comm.

" _ **I'm was not made aware there would be an N7 operative in this mission. If there is then I was not told. They have to be talking about some other Op."**_ Colt explains.

"Are you really not aware of N7 operations in the field?" Caepraka asks.

" _ **Their missions are kept classified at the highest level of Government. I would know if I was assigned one. This has to be something else completely unrelated with what we are doing. It's best to drop this now,"**_ Colt states, closing off the conversation quickly, bringing suspicion within Annali.

"Captain, I have something else to show you as well," Chance quickly says, inciting a sharp inhale from Colt.

"Go ahead," Caepraka motions.

"As I was investigating further, I also discovered a list of names that point to a specific assignment… directives ordering agents to Illium and to be there before 0400 A.M. And if I remember correctly, the Kilimanjaro departed a few minutes after 0400 and arrived at Illium at 0712 A.M." the evidence makes a shocking connection.

The officers begin talking amongst themselves as the information proves to be too realistic to deny. Annali begins sifting through her memories again, looking for anything that may have hinted anything regarding the mission on Chasca. The first mission, she and Max went down to the surface and gathered the data from the Cerberus base camp. There had to be something that stood out, besides everyone firign at each other, " _What about before the mission?"_ she pondered to herself. Thinking before they entered the shuttle, she remembered everyone getting ready and then… a shuttle came in to the hangar… an Alliance shuttle… Max was there, there was a pilot with some cargo and- The Armor!

The N7 armor Max received was definitely something. They said the N7 grade armor was to ensure Tereshkova's survival. But then why only give it to him and not the rest of the Alliance soldiers. But then a thought enters her mind… one she had not even considered thinking about… something Max had told her as a possibility, " _'I… understand you. But… what if the secret meant compromising a mission, risked the people you cared about and it had to be kept?_ ' _,"_ she replays his words in her head.

Caepraka notices Annali hard at thought and looks at her with curiosity, "Veren?" she catches Annali's attention, "You look like you're on to something, care to share?" she asks kindly.

Everyone looks at Annali, expecting her to lay out her mind. But the thought is still too much for her to accept so instead she says, "N-no, I was just wondering is all," she lies.

Caepraka stares at her for a few seconds, some very long ass seconds then breaks eye contact, "Colt, do you have anything to add to this?" she asks.

Colt doesn't respond immediately but then speaks up, _**"No, Captain. I have nothing to add. However, I do hold a concern; What were the names of the people on the list, though?"**_ he asks.

"Would you like me to send you the list, Captain?" Chance asks.

" _ **Yes, send them as soon as possible,"**_ Colt confirms.

"Are you on to something, Captain?" Caepraka asks.

" _ **Yes…" Colt stops there, taking a moment then continuing, "I have a bad feeling we may have some unwanted guests. Stay on alert. Colt out."**_ With that the connection cuts.

Caepraka breathes a heavy sigh, staring blankly at the table for a few moments then looking up towards everyone, "This meeting is dismissed. Everyone back to your posts," she orders. Everyone stands up and salutes before walking out. Annali is about to walk through the door until Caepraka's voice stops her, "Veren, Chance, I would like to speak to you in private," Veren looks at Chance then at Caepraka as she walks out the door, motioning them to follow her. Annali and Chance walk side by side just behind Caepraka as she leads them through a hallway then stops at a door. The door automatically opens and she motions for them step inside, "Go," she tells them.

"Mam, I don't want to be the spoiler for a secret conversation but why are we in a Janitor's closet?" Annali asks as she feels the wet tendrils of a mop wetting her feet.

"Because this I the last place anyone would bother listening in on us," Caepraka leans in close to Annali's face, making Annali feel enclosed, "Veren, I know you know something. You aren't the type of person to just quickly discredit your idea so quickly," Caepraka states. Her sentence surprises Annali, wondering how she would have even come to that conclusion.

"Mam, what would make you think I know something? This is all news to me and you-"

"It's that human," she cuts her off.

Annali stops to form a word to defend Max but is left stumped. She must've come to same conclusion as she did. Annali didn't want to accept Max had something to do with the possible breach in security but she first had to play it off before she could even accuse her closest friend… her true friend… her lover, "Mam, we have boat full of humans out there and a few others on this ship. I think we're being a bit too-"

"Tereshkova…" she states plainly, silencing Annali, "I saw his armor; N7 marking on it. I'm not as oblivious as you believe Veren. I know you think he's an N7, the evidence is so obvious that I can tell you noticed it too," she tells her straight up.

Annali couldn't help but to feel that she was so easily read, not everyone could read her emotions or what she hid from everyone but somehow Max could and…. wait…. Max could read her, "Tereshkova… he's a great friend to me… I feel like…."

"Annali…." Caepraka calls her by her first name, a first in nearly two years ever since she was first assigned to the Trianis. If she calls you by your first name then she means serious business. Annali was afraid to hear what she had to say, would she suggest Max is the operative hiding in plain sight? Caepraka stood up straight and looks over at Chance who has been very quite the entire conversation. Her stare makes Chance stand at attention, "Chance, I know you are not the operative, relax," she assures him. Chance realxes a bit until she says, "I need you to investigate something for me," she tells him.

"W-what can I do, Captain?" Chance asks nervously.

"I need you to monitor comms with the Kilimanjaro; with us, the Victrition, and within itself. If what Colt says about 'unwanted guests' turns out to be true then I can only imagine what can happen in the next few weeks," she explains.

Chance gulps and nods in understanding, "Yes, mam. I will do my best," he salutes.

"Don't worry, this shouldn't be considered as an act of treason more like a security concern if you want," Caepraka assures him.

"*sigh* if you say so, Captain... I'm just nervous is all. I've never spied on my own Captain's ship," Chance tells her.

"Well, we may have a spy on our ship as well. Veren…" she turns to Annali, "I need you to do some detective work for me. I know you're good friends with the Human but I need to know if we can trust him," her words make Annali's breathing quicken in anticipation, "I need to know if he's a Cerberus spy or an N7. I'm hoping it is the latter," she tells her with dead seriousness.

Annali breathes calmly, looking to keep herself from yelling at her own CO telling her that Max is no spy. She would not accept the fact that Max, the one man in the galaxy and perhaps the Universe that brought her closure to her grief towards her mothers death and the one who brought her the greatest happiness she has received in so long, would ever use her for his Governments own motives. She didn't want to believe he was a Cerberus spy but how could he, no spy would ever try anything as intimate with another species. Regardless, she responds, "Sure thing- I mean, yes, mam, I'll find out what I can," she states, holding her bitter frustration.

"Good. I'll see you soon, then. Chance, you will be on the bridge monitoring comms," she opens the door and the three step out into the desolate hallway.

"Yes, Captain," Chance follows Caepraka down the hallway, leaving Annali to ponder on her own thoughts. A sharp exhale escapes her mouth as panic begins to grow within her. Max, the one man who understood her, the one who could make her laugh and feel naturally comfortable, is a prime suspect for a supposed security breach. She wished he wasn't what he joked he would've been, even worse; she wished he wasn't with Cerberus. She would have to find out one way or another.

And she hoped he wouldn't have to be at the end of her gun.

[

Meanwhile in Engineering…

"Did you want to talk, Colt?" Max asks.

Colt's face appears on the monitor, _**"I have some disturbing news for you, Tereshkova. I'm not sure it's safe to discuss this on the comms, especially if it's secured,"**_ Colt tells him.

"What's so important that it can't be so casually talked between another person?" Mas asks nonchalantly.

" _ **I think we have some stowaways on my ship. Cerberus sleeper cells possibly,"**_ he explains.

Max is taken back by this, "Cells? How do you know this?" Max asks curiously.

" _ **Some data your Turian Liaison stole while on a mission planet side. Corporal Chance sorted out the data and found a few suspicious details about Cerberus activity going on before our coalition,"**_ Colt explains.

"So? What did he say?" Max asks.

" _ **I have a copy of the data he sent me; it's a schedule of some sort with a list of names with specific jobs. One man is posed as a Staff Sergeant and another as an Artificer. They are listed as Naval personnel,"**_ Colt states.

"So what if they're naval personnel? They could be with another ship that was docked."

" _ **They were scheduled to board a ship on a specific time… a time identical to when our personnel were scheduled to board the Kilimanjaro,"**_ Max finally blinks and gives a concerned expression, _**"I have feeling there's a bomb on this ship and the fuse is nearly burnt. I haven't said anything to anyone as of now, in case I'm talking to a Cerberus cell. I'm telling you this because in case things go to shit and i'm not here…"**_ Colt looks behind him momentarily then looks back at Max, _**"I'm appointing you as my successor to the Kilimanjaro's Line of Leadership,"**_ Colt's words shock Max, literally leaving a gap in his lungs with no air.

"Wha- You- Colt *ahem* that's a huge promotion right there. I may be just below an N7 but that doesn't mean I have the necessary leadership skills to take over the mission," Max explains.

" _ **Son, the reason I called you an N7 is so you understand what it means to assume a role when you do. You're just an N6, I know, but i have full confidence that you can lead everyone till the end should I be unfit to continue. I have given my nomination to have you be an N7 once our job here is done. The least you can do is accept the position when- IF it falls to you. Speaking of your rank, I have another concern, one involving you,"**_ Colt says with a hint of worry.

"Me, sir?"

" _ **I think the Captain is on to you, Tereshkova,"**_ Colt tells him. Max stiffens up at the words, his heart beating faster, _**"I was in a conversation with her and she's been very… interested in your involvement,"**_ he explains further.

"How?" Max asks.

" _ **I don't think it was a good idea to send you your armor. She was asking your Liaison questions. Sounded like she trusted her word should she have come up with something. I think your girlfriend is on to you, son,"**_ Colt teases with a light chuckle.

"*cough* I'm sorry, girlfriend? She's not-"

" _ **Boy, I know your relationship with the Turian. Montero has been keeping me up to date with your social interactions as it's part of his job to keep track of. Besides that, I have a feeling that Captain Caepraka has given her orders to investigate you,"**_ Colt warns him.

"How do you know she would tell her that?" Max asks.

" _ **Because, it's exactly the same thing I would ask of you if we were in her shoes. Just keep your head low and if she does start asking questions just try to sound as honest as possible,"**_ Colt looks behind him again, _**"I have to go now, try your best to keep her and everyone else out of this. No one can know, not even her. That's an order. Colt out,"**_ with that, the monitor returns to a blue screen, leaving Max to think to himself now. Things were now much more complicated.

Max could only anticipate Annali walking through his doors and just asking, _'Are you with Cerberus or nah?'_

" _What the hell am I thinking? She wouldn't just say that. She'll probably make a casual approach toward me, engage in conversation and get me talking, then she'll probably bring the conversation to a question which I can only assume is 'Are you working for Cerberus?' or more like-"_

"Hey, Tereshkova!" Ranan pops in.

"GYAH!" Max nearly jumps out of his seat.

"Whoa, didn't mean to startle ya there. Just came in to say what's up?" Ranan greets.

"Oh, hey," Max scratches his head nervously.

"You okay there, bud? You look like you didn't sleep well," Ranan asks.

"Nah you startled me is all. I was still waking up," Max explains.

"Ah, I get ya. Sleep does hang around for a while, doesn't it? Especially on this ship, you can't even tell if it's day or night without having to look at your watch," Ranan tells him.

"Heh, yeah," Max agrees with a half worried look on his face.

Ranan catches Max's expression almost immediately, "It looks like you woke up to more than just a lazy daze. Is there something else on your mind?" Ranan asks

" _Why won't he just leave?"_ Max thinks, already frustrated with his presence, but he musters up some civilness and responds, "No, i just haven't eaten yet is all. I'll head down to the cafeteria in a bit to get something to eat," Max explains, trying to end the conversation at that.

"Lucky you, me and Dray are headed down to the cafeteria to get something to chow down on. Let's head down, it's close to our break anyway so why not leave a minute early, eh?" he invites Max.

Max looks at his watch and sees it's only 0829 A.M. Still morning, "Damn, I thought it was a lot later. Guess I've been working too hard," Max says as he gets up.

"Or just bored out of your mind. Either way, let's head down," Ranan waves for him to follow.

"Hurry up, if you take longer I think my stomach is going to eat me from the inside out," Dray whines from the hallway. Max nods and grabs his Dark blue jacket, zipping it up halfway and following Ranan out, joining Dray outside, "Finally, let's eat. You should be hungry already Tereshkova," Dray tells him.

"I would've preferred to get my hours in early so I don't work later into the night. It doesn't bother me to skip breakfast," Max replies.

"I wouldn't overwork myself too much, I like to have food in me so I don't die of hunger," Dray says with disgust.

Max chuckles lightly, not wanting to continue the topic any further or talk at all. The last thing he needed was Colt's assumption coming true. The only way he would know is if Annali coincidentally blocked their path just as they-

"Hey guys," speak of the devil. Standing smack dab in front of the doorway was Annali.

" _Christ,"_ Max stiffens up. He feels his heart beating faster than normal… and pretty intensely as well. Annali's eyes automatically fall on his, he could only smile warmly in response. And traditionally, she responds with a warm smile as well, bringing a somewhat discomfort to Max. His suspicions were already on high alert for anything she would say or do to him.

As for Annali, she was outright coincidentally uncomfortable when he smiled back. Her smile only hid her true thoughts and feelings from him and everyone else, her fear of him, "you three headed somewhere? Breakfast?" she asks oh so innocently.

"Yep, gonna grab a bite before we get back to work. You don't want us to starve do ya?" Ranan asks her.

"Heh, no, I wouldn't want that at all," Her eyes shift to Max who looks quickly away from her gaze, "Mind if I join you?" she asks Ranan, her eyes not diverting away from Max.

"Didn't you have an inspection going on down on the 2nd deck?" Ranan asks.

Max hopes desperately that she forgot to that, he wishes she would just go just so he could eat and think about all of this. He had to think up a plan that can get him by the day without having to go into a deep conversation with her, "That's scheduled for tomorrow, so can I come with?" well shit.

"Sure, if you're free to hang out with then, by all means, let's head down," Ranan waves for them follow, Max following closely behind him.

Max could feel Annali's gaze burning into his head, he knew her already too well and he knew that she was looking at him. She must know something's up. No way in hell was the N7 armor not suspicious, not with everything Colt just laid out on him. His mind began racing with all sorts of scenarios, all of them possibly involving a gun with either him or Annali holding it. Immediately, he kicked the thought out of the field, he couldn't bring himself to harm her in any way. Emotionally or physically. Annali brought him the most wonderful happiness he's had in a very long time. Even Annali told him that he brought her the best happiness in a long time. He saw how vulnerable she was when she had her nightmares; he comforted her as she cried and she loved him when he stayed with her. He remembered when she made him promise to never leave her, he showed his commitment with a kiss. To turn everything upside down for her was just cruel in every way possible.

Just then, he felt a warm touch on his arm, immediately his arm stiffened up, he could already guess it was Annali giving a consensual carress. Slowly he turns his head to his right but is completely thown off when Annali's hand was actually Dray leaning his back on him while looking at his Omni-tool. With that he realized they had stopped in front of the elevator door, _"How the hell did we get here so fast?"_ he thought to himself, he was so deep in thought he wasn't even aware they had already walked down the hallway and through the corridors leading to the Elevator. So bizzare, right?

The doors open and the group gets in, Ranan sets the elevator to take them down to the Crew's quarters where the cafeteria is usually located. As the elevator descends, Max feels a warmth fall on his arm again. To no surprise, Dray was leaning on him again while looking at his Omni-tool. Max relaxes again but then another warm touch falls on his other arm, bringing back the anxiety again. Nervously, he looks down to his right to see Annali warmly resting her head on him, her eyes closed as she caresses his arm with her cheek. He couldn't help but feel uncomfortable and suspicious of her but at the same time feel warm and at ease as well. He was fighting an internal battle within himself, his life on the edge of breaking back into shambles just as Annali help him put it back together, _"Damn it, Colt. You just had to make this harder, didn't you?"_ he asks, knowing he wouldn't answer his question anyways.

Annali couldn't help but cuddle his arm, even though he had a jacket on she could feel his warmth through it, it seemed as though it was the only thing keeping her from outright shooting him with questions. She was too afraid to ask him what his real mission was, it would be the start of a false accusation and the end of something valuable to her. Max was everything she could have ever hoped to see in another man; his childish nature always made her smile but when it came down to seriousness he was no longer the Max that flashed that warm smile. He cared enough to sooth her to sleep whenever she had nightmares. But not so much anymore; whenever he slept with her or if she slept with him, she almost immediately fell asleep and not once had a nightmare. Max helped her get over her grief of her mother and now, she was finally happy, " _But this mission, this goddamn mission had to put me into doubt. Fucking Caepraka and her… damn instincts,"_ Annali hadn't noticed but her talons were digging into Max's arm.

"Ah," Max grunts, bringing Annali out of thought.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Max. I guess I zoned out for a bit," Annali loosens her grip.

"It's fine, I like to hug anything near me too… but without my nails, though," Max whispers.

Annali giggles and hugs his arm again lovingly. Even with his humor, she couldn't get Caepraka's orders out of her head. The painful part was she also wanted to know if Max is the Engineer he claims to be. She would have to find the right moment to try.

The doors open to a hallway, other crew members wait for them to get out for their turn in the elevator. Instinctively, she unwrapped her arm from his and together they walked out and made their way through the people and to the cafeteria. The group lined up with Ranan as he got his tray.

"I'll find us a table while the rest of you get some grub for yourselves," Dray says as he walks between the tables.

The cook had Max's meal prepared already since Max had regularly come down and asked for the same lunch, "There ya go Max, enjoy," the cook hands him the tray; orange juice, some oatmeal, an apple and some rice.

"Just the way I like it," Max says as he reluctantly takes the food.

The cook gives him a thumbs up and serves Ranan next. As Max walks over to the table Dray secured, he couldn't help but feel someone staring at him from behind. It wasn't something he was a stranger to but it still put him on edge, he couldn't anticipate what it was that was watching him, but he had a fairly good guess where that feeling is coming from.

Annali watched as Max sat down with Dray and began conversing with him. He wasn't acting in any way suspicious, at least, not from the outside. A spy can be very tactful when it came to infiltrating enemy lines; they would make a personality of themselves, creating a permanent first-impression on everyone, no way they would ever consider him working for the enemy. The Asari where masters of infiltration, no one would question their presence until the unlucky person was at the end of their barrel or worse. However, she had no question that a Cerberus spy would abide by those rules, they were pretty effective at getting close to their targets.

"Mam, are you just gonna stand there forever or you gonna get something to eat?" the cook calls Annali out.

Annali blinks, "Oh, I'm sorry. Yes, I'll take the usual for me," she quickly says, slightly embarrassed.

"I see the human's caught your eye, eh?" the cook tells her, making her feel more embarrassed, "Oh come on, don't be so embarrassed. I'm sure there other couples like you two out there, it's a big Galaxy after all," he assures her.

"What are you, some sort of Preacher Cook?" Annali asks.

"Nope, just your average cook just cooking… and preaching," he pulls out a tray from underneath the counter and begins adding food to it. Annali snickers, walking away, shaking her head. The Preacher Cook, preaching and cooking. What a time to be alive.

As she sits down next to Max, she barely catches wind of the conversation, "I kind of wanna see how Cay is doing over there. Bet he's already hitting on your women there," Dray says.

"Ha, he's so shy I bet the women are gonna be hitting on him and he'll just be locked up in his room trying to get away from them," Ranan jokes as he takes a bite from some type of fruit with a deep red hue.

"The more likely being he'll be asking the men how to hit on human women," Max chuckles. Ranan and Dray burst out in laughter. Annali could only give a slight chuckle, her mind still focused on Max, looking for any slip-ups of any kind. Out of nowhere, the cooks words echo in her head, _"I'm sure there are other couples like you two out there, it's a big Galaxy after all,"_ for some reason it started to grow on her. Perhaps he was a preacher, but that's beside the point. Their relationship came with many hardships but she and Max overcame them, together. But this one… is one she had to be careful with; it could not only complicate the mission but...

"*cough*" Annali nearly choked at the thought of Max leaving her. This was far more complicated than she anticipated.

"You alright there, Veren?" Ranan asks.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just forgot to swallow," Annali took a sip of her beverage, hiding her emotion behind her casualness.

Max was already looking at her which made her look away in reflex, not wanting to bring any suspicion to the table. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him divert his attention down to her tray, "What fruit is that?" he asks. Annali nearly breathes a sigh of relief but holds it in.

"What, the Churría?" Annali asks.

"Yeah, what's it taste like?" he asks curiously.

Annali looks down at the fruit and then at Max, a devious smile starting to grow on her face, "Why don't you try it?" she hands him the fruit and places it in front of him.

Max looks down at the fruit, eyeing it carefully, _"Puny, fruit. It's nothing but a fruit, how bad can it taste it?"_ Max takes the fruit in his head, inspecting it from different angles, then looking at Annali, her eyes watching him attentively. Looking back at the fruit, he takes a deep breath then takes a large chunk out of it.

"Oh, that's a big one," Ranan says.

"What's it taste like on your end, Max?" Annali asks.

It was like someone threw in some liquid propane and threw a match, the taste was unlike any salsa he had ever eaten on Earth. Nothing could compare to the level hotness, no chili pepper could ever rival this. Immediately, Max coughed up the chewed up piece onto the table, its juices jumping in every direction to the impact.

"OH GROSS!"

"MAX, WHAT THE HELL!?"

"HAHAHA HAHAHA!" Annali was already laughing her ass off as Max chugged down his orange juice in mere seconds.

"*Cough* What the hell is in that thing? *cough* *wheeze* that's no fucking fruit, UAH!" People around the cafeteria began laughing as well as they caught wind of what Max was doing.

Max reached over the counter and grabbed a carton of milk that was just sitting idly there. Ripping open the top, he began chugging the entire thing, his face and jacket getting tainted with white as he let it all fall out. Once the carton had been emptied, he slammed it on the counter next to the cook. He looked back at his table only to see Ranan, Dray, and Annali laughing their asses off.

"Fuck… I hate your fruit!" he shouted so everyone in the cafeteria could hear, partly out of frustration.

"Don't eat what isn't made for you," One of the crewmembers shouted.

"Whatever," Max waves him off, breathing heavily and letting his tongue loll out.

The entire lunch period was spent talking back and forth about the delicacies from both sides; Turian and Human. Max was already thinking of starting his own business with the spicy Turian fruit he ate, he could make a killing in selling his own product of salsa that isn't tomato, "Is there any way I can get like large shipments of these things, I swear these will draw people in for their sheer taste," Max asks.

"From what I could tell, after your reaction, I think you might go out of business on the first day," Ranan tells him.

"Oh come on, once I get this to my cousins, they'll be dying for more."

"Or they'll just be dying in general," Dray adds in.

Annali giggles as Max tries to come up with a reason to sell his 'product'. There was no doubt he would try regardless of what others think of it. This is what she hoped to see in Max, the person she fell in love with a month ago. No spy would go as far as to try alien food… unless they were Max that is.

"Alright, everyone. Meal time is over, head back to your posts. Come back for dinner if you want," the cook announces.

"Looks like we better go, guys," Annali tells the group.

"Oh crap, it's almost time for our shift. It's nearly 0900. Come on, Dray and you too Max. We'll see you later, Annali," Ranan and Dray stand up quickly and proceed to the exit.

"Guess I'd better go now, I'll see you soon, Annie," Max gets up, picking up his soaked jacket and throwing it over his shoulders.

Before he could go any further, he felt a gentle hand on his own, "I'm coming too if you don't mind," she gets up and stretches her arms.

Max really hoped she wouldn't ask that; even after his act he still felt Annali was on to him. He knew her too well, she wouldn't easily forget the simplest things, even more, she wouldn't dare defy the Captain's orders. And if Colt's premonition is true, then Annali is trying to get closer to him to find the perfect moment for her to spill the beans on him. Regardless, he had to keep his casual, "You sure? I'll be mostly busy for the next two hours. You know… fingers on keys… endlessly typing until I'm told to stop… boring," Max tries to discourage her.

"Oh come on, nothing's boring when you're around. No harm in just hanging out and… talk, right?" the pause.

" _She wants to talk,"_ he repeats the same thing over and over. If that isn't a call for privacy then who knows what the hell it is. Right now, he had to hope to God Colt was wrong, "S-sure… if you want to," he waves for her to follow. He feels her arm wrap around his as they walk together to the elevator. As they approached the elevator, he felt her pull him away from pressing the button, "What?" he asks.

"I wanna take the stairs, have some time to ourselves, yeah?" Annali suggests with another tug.

Max wasn't very fond of the idea; trying to isolate the suspect is exactly what he would do if he was going to ask some serious questions. Before he could decline, one look at her face changed it all; her innocent smile and sparkly eyes won him over every time she wanted something. At least she never took full advantage of him, "If you want," he agreed. Diverting from the elevator, Max lets Annali guide him through some hallways he never came through before. He's been fixing and improving modules from different sections of the ship but he's never gone through these. It seemed as though nobody has been here in a long time, he was getting the itchy feeling that they were the only people to visit this part of the ship in years, it was just so eerie. The only thing that provided some sort of comfort was the hum of the Eezo core generating power.

As they walked, all Max could think of was what Annali would do if she knew he kept a secret from her. Over the past month, they've been telling each other stories of from their lives as children, prior and post-Relay incident. After that, Max explained how hard it was to wait for his Aunt and Uncle to claim Guardianship over him after the liberation of the planet by Alliance forces. Once his Unlce was allowed to be his new Guardian, they headed back to Earth where Max became distant and unsociable to most people; the memories of his family keeping him introverted and anti-social. His teens took a turn for the worst when he joined a gang and committed his first robbery of a convenience store. They had the money but the rest of the gang was aprehended by the police while Max managed to escape in the scuffle. No one knew who the other affiliate of the gang was and they never did. Max was especially embarrased for having shared that, feeling as though Annali wouldn't like him after what he told her. But he received the complete opposite; she was very understanding and shared her own story. Years after her receiving the news of her mothers death, Annali only talked to her family. No one else. Her family's life without her mother was very depressing, her father had been drinking heavily and would often come home drunk or be taken home by his subordinates. Her older sister would help keep him in line if he tried to be violent with them. This encouraged Annali to take drastic steps to 'ease' his pain. Only one time was she close to actually just ending his misery; his father was asleep with his hand grasping a bottle of liquor across his chest, snoring away and occasionally mumbling words she could barely understand. Annali found his fathers pistol in his desk as she usually liked to explore his room, he never let anyone except her mother inside. It didn't take long for her to find out how to load it and point but the hard part was trying to pull the trigger. She could still remember herself holding the heavy hand cannon in her weak arms, struggling to hold it up. She remembered herself crying softly as she tried to pull the trigger but to no avail, she couldn't do this, her mother wouldn't want her to be a murderer. Annali paused for a while before continuing, the story seemed to have a significant impact on her life. Her sister caught her in the act and took the gun away before Annali could try again, at that point, Annali started bawling, crying into her sisters shoulder, pleading for forgiveness even with her sisters reassurances. The day after, their father hadn't the slightest a clue of what happened that night, the two sisters kept that night a secret between each other… that is, until she told Max their secret.

Max was very aware of her intentions; she wanted to be sure there wasn't anything to hide from each other as Turian culture dictated that no one should be afraid of someone if they have nothing to hide, _"A true relationship is forged should there not be anything kept from one another,"_ he remembered her words. Max was a man of honor, he prided himself at that but not so much so to not have a huge ego, but this mission was his kryptonite, he couldn't say anything that could jeoperdize the mission. In order to keep his cover Max had to drastically change some major parts of his life. He had to keep the impression that he was an Engineer and not an elite agent. This pained him to no end, to keep such a terrible secret from his friends, from Ranan, from Dray, Cay, and especially Annali, even though she was a well-trained Spec-ops agent. The day it came to talk the talk, he felt it was closer than ever. His secret won't stay hidden forever. And he was bound to get caught anytime soon.

All he could hope was for Annali to be just as understanding as she always had been, "*chuckle* you know, it's funny," Annali says, breaking the silence.

"What?" Max asks.

"*sigh* I really do have to admit, Max… I couldn't keep this from you," Annali tells him.

"Keep what?" Max asks, curiously.

Annali gulps audibly before speaking, "I…. was given orders to find out if you were working with Cerberus," oh shit.

Max was utterly stunned, his cheeks where burning red, it was like he just stepped into the twilight zone and he was the main character. Colt was right, turns out he knew better than than to just assume another persons actions. Max was struggling to keep his heart rate in check but it was hard enough not to freak out. His training couldn't help him in this situation, because the girl he loves is in it, "*cough* you think I'm with them?" Max asks with a cough, his mind was racing with responses to execute on anything Annali tried to say to him.

"What, nonono, I-I would never think that. Max, I'm… terribly sorry, I really should have told you earlier but that meeting I had with the other officers seriously put me into doubt. I had to question you and Montero's identity. Max, please… I-I…" Annali trails off, her voice cracking as she tried to compose herself. Apparently, she never wanted to believe Max was with Cerberus, she never did. This only worsened Max's composure, his conscience couldn't stand that she was the one telling her secrets while he kept his from her.

"Fucking hell," Max said, a bit louder than he intended. He was already leaning on the wall for support as he tried to calm himself down.

"Max… please believe me when I say I really tried to tell them you were not with them. I know you're not, so please tell me you aren't with Cerberus. Please….," Annali was pleading for him to answer, she couldn't bear to hear him say he wasn't Alliance. If the past events meant anything, Max was still the man he is now.

Max could hear her desperation, she never believed him to be Cerberus, the least he could do was assure her, "Don't worry, I'm not with them. I swear on my life I am not with them," Max assured her, placing a hand over his heart.

Annali gave a sigh of relief and latched on to Max's neck tightly, relieved Max wasn't what the Captain thought he was, "I knew you weren't with them… I knew it…," her head was cuddled between his head and shoulders as she nuzzled him lovingly. Her assumptions were settled and she could now relax after all of this.

Max, on the other hand, was still trying to calm down; had she been more persistent on him, she would've likely figured out something was up and she would report him to Caepraka. The mission would be compromised. And all because Alliance command wanted info on Turian ships. He was struggling to keep the secret, he was going to tell her no doubt and admit to everything… but it just simply had to wait. He wasn't about to just raise suspicion on himself again, he didn't want to complicate things any further. Regardless, if they were getting worse, _"I bet Colt is having a much better time than I am."_

 **0937 A.M. Bridge- SSV Kilimanjaro**

"What do you have for me, son?"

"We've conducted an entire background check for all personnel, there's nothing suspicous in the database," the Systems Technician explains.

"Mm," Colt acknowldges. Since the officers meeting, Colt was on edge, looking through every officers profile and reading it thoroughly. If there was a cell on his ship, then he needed to find him or her before whoever it is is given the green light to execute their orders. The fuse was lit and he needed to find the bomb before time ran out. And he had a feeling the fuse was nearing its base, "Have the NCO's been checked as well?" Colt asks as he looks out the Bridge towards the Trianis.

"Yes, sir; 1st Lieutenant Cromwell conducted it himself. You know how he is, Captain," he states.

"Of course I do," he says with a shake of the head. Everyone was accounted for and no one showed anything that was affiliated with Cerberus.

"Captain, do you still believe we have Cerberus agents on this ship? We've gone through the ships database three times already, I can assure you we don't have any imposters," the technician assures him.

"You just do your job, kid. Just because the ocean has fish doesn't mean there aren't any sharks hiding in the sand, waiting for you to spook them. The intel I've received suggests there are and I very much believe that we have some wolves hiding among us," Colt explains.

"If you say so, sir. Cromwell has been trying pretty hard to find suspects," the technician states.

Just then, a thought flies into Colt's head, one he hadn't thought of; Cromwell wasn't checked, "Did you check Cromwell's profile?" Colt asks, turning to the Technician.

The Technician ponders on the question for a while before shaking his head, "I don't think so, sir. I actually didn't think of checking him, he's just been telling who to check and who to put on the suspect list," the Technician explains.

"Check him, now," Colt orders.

"Aye Captain," the Technician salutes and leaves the bridge.

" _There has to be someone,"_ he thinks to himself. As he turns to look back at the Trianis he catches some guys eye looking at him. As soon as he makes eye contact, the man turns quickly back toward his monitor, typing away as if he was always working. Colt narrows his eyes on him, already getting the itchy feeling something's up. Casually, he turns back to the windows bridge; activating his Omni-tool discretely while facing away from the man. He pulls up the Bridge schematics and finds the terminal the man is using. With a single tap, he has full access to the terminal's functions, " _What are you hiding, boy?"_ he pulls up the current program and finds an encrypted message, multiple messges, in fact. All of them were encrypted in Binary code. It must've taken a long time to be able to learn this type of messaging. This became an uncommon form of communication ever since the Mars discovery which made it hard to decipher the code, _"Let's see who you've been talking to, son?"_ Colt was an expert on all sorts of of communication, easily becoming his own ships communications expert and decoder and later commandeering the Kilimanjaro after years of service.

But to speed things up, Colt pulls up a program that can easily decrypt any encryption with ease. Letting it do its job, he watches as each digit converts to letters to form words:

 _To :_ _|01000011|01110010|01101111|01101101|01110111|01100101|01101100|01101100|00001101_

 _User: The Captain is speeding up his efforts to source us out. The plan must go forward as soon as possible. I think the Captain is on to you._

 _|01000011|01110010|01101111|01101101|01110111|01100101|01101100|01101100|00001101: No need to hurry, I've made sure my tracks where covered. Just do your job and we'll be fine, alert the others for the signal._

 _User: Agreed. I'll let them know. Is the engine room ready?_

 _|01000011|01110010|01101111|01101101|01110111|01100101|01101100|01101100|00001101: Yes, I have it rigged. In case we are unable to take the bridge, I have made sure the core is unable to function once I have done it. Do NOT get caught, our lives are on the line. Do you understand me?_

 _User: Affirmative, |01010100|01101000|01100101|00100000|01001001|01101100|01101100|01110101|01110011|01101001|01110110|01100101|00100000|01001101|01100001|01101110|00100000|01110111|01101001|01101100|01101100|00100000|01100011|01101111|01101101|01110000|01100101|01101110|01110011|01100001|01110100|01100101|00100000|01111001|01101111|01110101|00100000|01100110|01101111|01110010|00100000|01111001|01101111|01110101|01110010|00100000|01110011|01100101|01110010|01110110|01101001|01100011|01100101|01110011|00101110|00001101_

The program struggled on the last bit of code but still continued to translate. But then as the codes were being translated, the three words Colt never thought he would see appear anywhere else appeared right in front of him:

 _User: Affirmative, the Illusive Man…_

"This can't be possible," Colt awaits for the full translation. Once translated he reads the message:

 _User: Affirmative, the Illusive Man will compensate you for your services._

Colt's brows furrow angrily as he discovers this new information; someone was tied to this man and that man has full access to the engine room and apparently the entire ship. Before he closes Omni-tool, he notices the person's name to which the man was communicating with was encoded as well. Highlighting the coed he translates it with ease… and the name stuns him.

 _To: Agent Bruce Cromwell_

Cromwell was the last person Colt expected to be the wolf in the field. But now was not the time to deal with emotions, the moment required action. Looking over his right shoulder he watches as the man pretends to work his job. Colt connects his earpiece to the Technician, "Systems Tech. do you hear me?" Colt asks.

" _ **Aye Captain!"**_ he responds.

"Report to the bridge immediately," with that, Colt disconnects and then connects with the armory, "Sgt. Rudy, do you read?"

" _ **Aye Captain!"**_

"I've identified the Cerberus cell to be 1st Lieutenant Bruce Cromwell. Detain him and take him to the interrogation room. But be discreet about it, I feel there are more around here. I'll be with you shortly," Colt whispers.

" _ **Cromwell, sir? Are you sure?"**_ the Sergeant questions.

"I am very certain; comm logs with another person is in the bridge. I have eyes on him so I will deal with him. Get Cromwell and check the Engine room for tampering, now!" Colt nearly shouts the orders but keeps his calm.

" _ **Aye, Captain! Moving to detain,"**_ Rudy disconnects from the comm. Leaving Colt to the extra wolf in the Bridge.

Colt turns casually to the Holo-display as if he was going to do his business. Out of the corner of his eye he sees someone turn their head to their left. He turns his head toward the man and finds he turns his head as well back to the monitor. This only confirms Colt's suspicion, _"Acting causual are we?"_ Colt decides a better approach and walks up behind the Cerberus spy. He couldn't call him out then and there, he didn't know how many other agents where on the bridge, pretending to be Alliance personnel.

Before he could make a move, Rudy's voice sounds off in his earpiece, _**"Captain, Lt. Cromwell has been detained. He's requesting your presence at the moment. Eventually, I'll run out of excuses to keep him here,"**_ Rudy explains.

Colt walks away from the spy and isolates himself to the holo-display, "Tell him by my orders that he will stay there until I arrive. He cannot leave that room," Colt tells him before walking back to the spy.

" _ **Aye Captain,"**_ Rudy acknowledges.

Closing the comms, Colt turns back to the Spy. Before he could speak, the Spy turns around to face him, "Captain, I have a call coming the hangar bay. It's Sgt. Rios, sir!" The spy tells him.

Colt takes a deep breath before speaking, "Transmit the call to my earpiece," he orders him, _"I'll deal with you in a bit,"_ he tells him indirectly but does not voice it. There's static for a short moment before he could hear the distinct sound of gunshots in the background as Sgt. Rios yells into the comms.

" _ **CAPTAIN, WE HAVE HOSTILES IN HANGAR! THEIR KILLING EVERYONE, I'M NOT SURE WHO IS WHO BUT THE GUNMEN ARE EVERYWHERE! *BOOOM*"**_

 ***RUMBLE***

The ship shakes as an explosion goes off in the hangar, causing a few people, including Colt to stumble, _**"SIR, YOU NEED TO SEAL OFF THE HANGAR! I'LL SECURE IT BUT I CAN'T GARAUNTEE HOW LONG!"**_ the Sergeant yells into the mike.

"Sir, we have gunfire coming in the aft section of the ship!" one of the officers states as he enters the bridge.

"The aft?" Colt asks.

"Yes, sir; multpile gunmen were detected and-"

"Captain, we have casualties on the starboard section o the ship!"

"Sir, the armory is under insurgent fire!"

One after the other, news of enemy presences were called out by the officers, Colt looks around him as more news comes in. His instincts were right; Cerberus was trying to take control of the ship, "I want this Bridge secured, no one gets in or out. We have Cerberus cells right here and now," Colt looks to the Spy he already discovered and walks toward him.

"Sir?" the spy asks, trying to act innocent.

"Don't play innocent with me, boy. I know you are working with them!" Colt grabs the Spy by the shirt and throws him to the floor.

"Sir, how can you tell it's him?"

Colt flips open his Omni-tool and reveals the logs, "You, sir, have been collaborating with my First Officer along with the others on this ship. You have nothing to defend yourself with. You have committed treason against the Alliance and the uniform," Colt pulls out his M3 Predator and loads a clip into it, "I don't keep traitors on my ship."

*BANG* *BANG*

A bullet slices into Colt's right arm just as he had begun to squeeze the trigger, "Argh!" Colt falls to the floor, clutching his wound tightly.

The crew look in shock as a woman pulls out the M3 as well, "A reason why I left the Alliance years ago," the woman states.

The Spy grabs Colt's pistol and takes aim at Colt, "Well, Captain, I don't keep prisoners on MY ship," the spy gives a viscious grin as he raises the pistol toward Colt's head.

Cotl stares down the barrel of the Spy, not at all afraid to face death but he would rather die knowing he tried his best to keep his own men safe. The spuy along with his female accomplice disarm the rest of the bridge personnel; taking their pistols and throwing them to the center of the deck. The spy then walks over to Colt and grabs him by the arm, "You get your ass over here. I think I'll take care of you first," the spy states. Colt is dragged across the floor as he tries to stand up but is then thrown onto the floor, "Do you have any idea how long I've waited to do this?" the spy asks.

"Long enough for me to get your ass found. You might kill me but this ship will never be yours," Colt boldly states.

The spy chuckles histarically and he kicks Colt in the gut, winding him. The other crew members stare helplessly as the insurgent kicks Colt repeatedly, "You think we won't succeed? This ship will soon be under our control and we will fire on the Turian ships without them even knowing of our actions. You've lost Captain and now…" the spy takes Colt hat and puts it on his own, "I'm the Captain of this ship," the Insurgent takes a look at the pistol and aims it down at Colt's head, "Goodbye… 'Captain'," the spy prepares to pull the trigger but then his face is met with a fist.

The insurgent is stunned for a second but soon tries to aim the gun toward the attacker but his arm is caught in an arm lock with Colt's 2nd in line for 1st officer. The spy tries to punch her in the face but she reels her head back and head butts her own head into his nose, creating a loud crack, "Restrain that bastard!" the 2nd Lieutenant orders the crew on the other woman insurgent. Before she could react the crew was already on her, quickly disarming her and pinning her down to the floor. The 2nd Lieutenant knees the spy's gut and then quickly sweeps his feet, slamming him down to the floor hard, "You're no Captain," the 2nd Lieutenant grabs the fallen pistol and aims it at the insurgents head.

"Killing me won't help you win… it will only strengthen our cause…"

"I don't give two fucks."

*BANG*

His head explodes in red as it falls limp on the floor, a pool of blood forming around him, "Get her up! Captain are you okay?" she asks him as she tries to help him up.

"I'm fine, Lieutenant *cough* just a little winded is all *grunt*I didn't think you were in here, Smith," Colt manages to stand up, his hand still covering his injured one.

"I was working on the Kilimanjaro's ship logs, I thought I could find something useful but you were one step ahead of me. Let me deal with her, sir," Smith asks.

"Get whatever you can out of her, I don't care what method you use," Colt orders.

The 2nd Lieutenant nods and walks over to the subdued agent, "You're going to tell me what I want to know before I put a bullet in your head."

The Agent looks up at her in disgust, "You think I'm going to tell you anything? Think again," the agent spits.

Smith takes out her pistol and cocks it, pointing it at her head, "Wrong answer."

*BLAM*

Colt looks at Smith with an expressionless face, "I thought I was the only Pro Anti-Cerberus person here but you're taking it to a whole nother level," Colt comments.

"Aren't we all?" she collapses the pistol and clips it to her waist, "We need to get Sgt. Rudy and Sgt. Rios to organize a team. We need to get the aft section of the ship secured before we move down and clear out the rest of the levels. I believe Sgt. Rios will have the hangar secured but we need to aid him," Smith states.

"I agree, *grunt* get Sgt. Rudy on the comms. Smith looks at the Communcations chief. He nods and opens his Omni-tool, "Sgt. Rudy, you still there?"

" _ ***cough* Cromwell escaped, sir! I'm sorry, the explosion startled us and he killed a few of my men *grunt* we're headed down to secure the hangar with Sgt. Rios!"**_ the Sergeant explains.

"No, head to the Engineering room and try to clear as many halls as you can on the way, put together a team and kill anyone who points a gun at you. Search the Engine room for any tampering with the core. I'll deal with Cromwell- GRRH!" Colt grunts in pain as he clutches his gut.

"Sir?" Smith walks over to Colt, "Are you okay, Captain?" she asks.

Colt looks down at his hand only to see red staining his hand and uniform, "Damn, ngh," Colt grunts.

Smith's eyes widen in shock, "Get me Medi-gel, now!" she hollers. A crewman walks over to Colt and tears open a packet of Med-gel.

"Got it, applying it now," the crewman gently applies the Medi-gel over Colt's wound, effectively clotting the wound, "That feel better, Captain?" the crewman asks.

"I'll feel better once we've secured the ship. Smith, get me communications with the Trianis and Victrition, now!" Colt orders.

"Yes, Captain," Smith nods.

"Captain, they've disabled our comms dish, I can't establish a connection," one of the comms officers states.

"Damn, we need to get word the Kilimanjaro's been compromised. There has to be some way…" Colt trrails off as an idea begins to form in his head.

"Do you have an idea, sir?" Smith asks.

"Yes, my personal terminal can connect to any comm regardless of the dish being destroyed or disabled. But right now with all this, it may be dangerous," Colt states.

"Well, we better get moving, then," Smith takes her pistol from her waist.

"We need to ID personnel before we make contact. Comm. Chief, I need video surveillance on every hall we'll be traveling through. Get us who's unarmed and who isn't," Colt orders as he stands up again.

"It may take a while to get Video feed but I'm sure I can-"

*BANG*

Everyone looks toward the door as banging can be heard against it, "Sir, it's us. Let us in, Cerberus is on the ship, we don't have anything to defend ourselves, you have to let us in!" someone pleads.

"Get that door open now!" Smith orders. One of the crew members nods and head to the door but is stopped by Colt.

"No!" Colt stops him, "Chief, get me video feed on the hallway just outside the Bridge door," Colt orders.

"Working on it," the Chief tells him. A few moments go by before she looks up at him from her terminal, "I have feed… Captain, they're armed and waiting on either side of the door. They're waiting for us to open it," the Chief states.

Colt and Smith look at each other as they see the predicament they are in, "What now, Captain?" she asks.

Colt looks down at the pistol next to the dead corpse of the Cerberus spy and walks over to it. Painfully, he bends down and grabs it, he turns to face the rest of the Crew as he cocks the pistol, "We defend this Bridge at all costs," Colt tells them. The crew grab their pistols off the floor and stand away from the door.

"We may not be able to keep them from getting in. We're trapped, sir," Smith tells him.

"Captain, they're going to cut throught the door-"

Just as she finishes her sentence, the door sizzles with sparks, red hot melted metal splitting open as it makes its way down. Colt looks at Smith and then back at the door, "The way I see it, Smith, they're the ones who are trapped," he aims his pistol down at the door as does everyone else. The lazer cuts down beyond halfway and nears the bottom. Smith raises her pistol in preperation, leaving her finger on the trigger and ready to face death head on, "Defend the bridge at all costs!" Colt shouts and just as the door falls open, and eruption of fire surges straight through.

 **Trianis Bridge**

"What the situation with our comms, Chief?" Caepraka asks.

"Unknown, still attempting all channels. Standby," the Communications Chief answers.

"What the hell is with Human communications that they can't even make a receiver work like it's supposed to?"

"Well it may be our systems AI still getting used to the different communications coding the Alliance has. Other than that, I have no other hypothesis, Captain," the Chief states.

"Mm," she acknowledges. It was way too long since contact was made with the Kilimanjaro and it felt strange that they hadn't at least sent a messenger to explain what had happened. She knew Colt would have done so, there wouldn't have to be such a long wait for anything. Caepraka takes a deep sigh as she stares out at the Bridge toward the Kilimanjaro; the massive Alliance behemoth could easily take on both cruisers and come out unscathed. There was a hint of jealousy behind that but most of it was in part of her respect toward Human engineering; if they could build ships of such scale then of course they have a rightful seat in the Council. A legitamate government with a different form of Democracy. Caepraka always wondered what it was like to live in such a society. The last time she heard about their history was they merely had the freedom to become whatever they wanted to be; it didn't have anything to do with their given IQ or what others saw they should be. They simply did what they loved most. Caepraka wasn't complaining or anything like that; she grew to like her position in the Meritocracy and she actually quite liked it. It wasn't anything she couldn't handle but the boredom of just standing at the bridge and looking out a window just made want to jettison herself down to the planet for some color besides the glowing blue, gray and the black emptiness of space with the occasional flickering of the stars.

And speaking of flickering, something seemed to be flashing toward her. Turning to look, she could see it was coming from the Kilimanjaro's bridge. She tried to get a better look but the constant flickering of bright light kept blinding her causing her to blink and turn away, "What in the name of…" she pondered on the flickering which would flash repeatedly in an almost rythmic pattern. And then suddenly it stopped, "Did you see that?" she asks the crewman to her left.

"See what, mam?" he asks.

"That series of flashes coming from the ship… you didn't see it?" she asks.

"Can't say I did, mam," the crewman states before giong back to his console.

Caepraka looks back at the Kilimanjaro's bridge, wondering what those flashes were. It couldn't have been the sun, no way they would flicker in and out in such a way. Suddenly, the flashes appeared again, repeating an identical pattern similar to what she just saw, "Right there, you see it?" she points out to the Kilimanjaro.

The crewman looks out the window to see the flashes, "Yes, I do. What is it?" he asks.

"Don't you see it's blinking in a steady pattern? Look it's on for a short time then it goes out only to come back for a longer duration," she explains.

"So?" he asks a bit confused.

"So they might be trying to communicate with us, it must be a form of Human communication, I don't know. Where's Robert?" she asks, looking around the bridge.

"Who?"

"The Human, Corporal Chance," she clarifies.

"Oh, he's in the comms room," he tells her.

"Get him for me," she orders.

"Yes, mam," the crewman gets up from his console and walks away as Caepraka looks back towards the Kilimanjaro.

Moments later, Chance arrives with a pad in hand and salutes, "How may I help, Captain?"

"Can you make this out, the flashes? They seem to repeat in a sort of pattern, take a look," she guides him to her spot and points toward the bridge. Chance looks back at her questionably but look toward the bridge, his eyes squinting after the first few flashes. His eyes don't move away for a second as he watches the flashes, his head begins to nod and he turns back to Caepraka.

"It seems like Morse code but with light. I could only make out a few letters but they are definitely saying something. Do you have any binoculars or a telescope I could use? Maybe we can see who's on the other side while I record the code," Chance explains.

"Let me get my visor," Caepraka heads over to her office and looks around for her old visor. It was a long time since she had last used it and it was on her last mission as squad commander before she was promoted to Ship Captain, "Now's your time to shine sweetie," she tells it. Taking it over to Chance, he notices he's holding the pad up to his face, "Chance, what are you doing?" she asks curiously.

"I'm recording the flashes so I can translate it. They only last for 4 seconds before repeating," he explains.

"I have the visor, let me look first then I will pass it on to you," she states as she puts on the visor. The lens glows blue as it activates and all sorts of applications appear along with crosshairs that trail the line of sight for the wearer. She takes her place next to Chance and uses the zoom feature in the visor by holding down a small button on the right side. Little by little, the bridge comes into view and the glare from the light dies down as she could begin to make out the windows and finally the man flashing the light along with another man with a visor on his face. Just as she makes eye contact, the man with the visor waves as they meet eyes. The man nudges the man next to him and the two converse. The man with the light nods and quickly crouches down to reach for something and eventually pulls out a piece of paper with Human writing written over it, "Chance, they spotted me looking at them, they're holding up a sign with your language. I can't understand it, here," she hands him the visor.

Chance takes it into his hands and attempts to fit it around his head, what with the strange skull structure Turians have. Instead, he decides to hold it and he fixes his sights on the bridge and sees the sign on the window, "It says… what? Oh no…" his hands lower down from his face, his face now turned from an expression of curiosity to one of fear and confusion.

"What is it read?" she asks but he shoves the visor into her hands instead. He picks up the pad he had in his hand and types away at the screen.

"Please tell me this is a joke…" he types in multiple symbols quickly all at the same time leaving Caepraka in the dark.

"What's a joke? What are you talking about? What are they saying, Corporal? Answer me!" she looks down at his pad and sees he's fully translated the sign.

"Captain, you need to ready a boarding party," Chance tells her.

"What? Why?" she asks still clueless.

"Because…" he highlights the words and translates it to the Turian symbols. What she read next nearly caught her breath:

 _ **CERBERUS ON BOARD! REQUEST IMMEDIATE HELP!**_

"No…"

 **Engineering Room**

"I really am sorry, Max; I didn't want to think you were Cerberus," Annali apologizes again.

"Hey, after all this, one would think I was. Even after what happened back in my childhood you would think I would turn to Cerberus," Max tells her as they sit across from one another in Max's room.

After arriving to Max's room, the two were simply engaged in apologies and confessions. Max still refrained from telling her his true identity but it was getting harder and harder to keep himself from spilling the beans. Here he was listening to Annali, the only person in the Galazy he felt truly comfortable with, was right there in front of him admiting to her feelings toward him and he couldn't bring himself to tell her the truth of his own personal life. He was living a life of lies. And trainig to become an N7 meant there would have to be most things he had to keep secret from other individuals. Especially his loved ones. Especially Annali. This was keeping him from making a move but it was going to happen anyway. It needed to happen. Now.

"Max… I… I could never think of you as someone who would join such an idiotic cause. I'm sorry you had to go through that as a child but, if anything, it made you the person you are now. I won't say it was a good thing… never," she places a hand on his shoulder. Max understood what she meant but it still hurt him from the inside. Annali was a Special-forces Operative from what he heard and if they were just as good at keeping secrets from each other then perhaps she could understand his predicament. Right?

"Annali… I have to tell you… um, something…" Max mumbled, struggling to speak louder.

"What is it?" she asks, actually hearing him. Max tries to continue but his mouth closes in protest, this was way more difficult than he thought. His ears were burning red with embarassment and shame Annali could tell something was up, "Max, you know you can tell me anything. Come on, let's take it slow," her attitude reminded Max of how her mother treated him and his brother when they did something wrong and they were too ashamed to say anything. She never got mad at them. This brought fond memories of the past but it all led to the day her people arrived and changed his whole life. Tears nearly escaped him but he could feel his eyes getting watery. Annali saw he was closing his eyes tightly, a slight glimmer shining from between his lids, "Max are you… crying?" Annali was definitely concerned for him now. She got up from his chair and sat down next to him, wrapping her arms around him into a hug, "Max… you can tell me… I promise I won't get mad or anything. You can tell me anything," she soothed him as she rested her head on his shoulder.

Max exhaled sharply as tears fell from his cheeks down to the ground, creating a small *plip*. Telling Annali would mean he had defied the very code of the Alliance High Command. He could get court-martialed… but at least he could live with a clear conscience, "I…. I'm not…. Fuck, why is this so hard? Damn it!" Max gritted his teeth and clenched his fist in frustration. He couldn't figure out how to start it off.

"Max, don't force yourself to tell me if you don't want to," Annali tells him, trying her best to get him to calm him.

"You don't get it… my job is a lie!" he finally forces himself.

Annali is taken back by this, "What do you mean?" she asks curiously.

"I'm not… Private 1st class Combat Engineer Tereshkova…" he states with a shaky voice but retains his modesty.

His sentence begins to bring back the fear Annali had about him… was he not who she thought he was, " _Please… for the love of my mother, please tell me…"_ she begins to recite to herself. He couldn't be who she thought he was. He couldn't, "Max…" she stands up but doesn't back away. She wanted to find out who he truly was but she was now more scared than ever to believe he was anyone else, "Don't tell me you're…"

"I'm not Cerberus… I'm not…" Max stands up suddenly, startling Annali and forcing her to back away a few feet away from him. Max raised his hands in the air he meant no harm. This was the very thing he was afraid would happen. He was conflicting Annali just as he had anticipated, "Please believe me Annali-"

"Don't…" she nearly shouts at him, silencing Max. Her vioce was shaky, "Don't you dare… say my name… Who are you?" she asks him coldly, her finger pointing directly at his head.

Max took a deep breath and closed his eyes before continuing on, "Annali, I-"

"WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU?" as quickly as she finished her sentence, her hand was already armed with a Carnifex pointed between his eyes. Max back his head a little as she pushed the barrel to his head, "Tell me," she ordered him, her hands shaking with fear. Annali didn't want this to happen, but she was too afraid to second guess herself now. She had to know NOW, "TELL ME!" she yells.

Max gulps, and breathes deeply, "I'm…"

Suddenly the holographic screen behind him flickers, producing a few static sounds and then switching to a call. The two look to the screen as a call pends for an answer but instead it answers itself and suddenly a blast of sound echoes through the room. The sound of gunfire and explosions could be heard as video-feed comes to the screen only to show Colt recovering from an explosion, _**"TERESHKOVA! ARE YOU THERE?!"**_ Colt yells as another explosion goes off nearby, apparently it was enough to shake the entire ship as creaks and groans could be heard from within the ship, _**"TERESHKOVA, ARE YOU THERE?!"**_ he repeats himself. Yelling could be heard in the background along with the gunfire.

Max looks back at Annali, meeting eyes with her momentarily before he turns to the console, "Yes, sir, I'm here! What's going on, are you in trouble?" Max asks.

" _ **Tereshkova, Cerberus is onboard! I repeat, CERBERUS IS ONBOARD! WE NEED A BOARDING PARTY HERE NOW BEFORE THEY GET CONTROL OF THE SHIP!"**_ he yells over the gunfire.

Max was stunned, as was Annali; Cerberus was on board the Kilimanjaro and Colt was in trouble. Annali was just as stunned, it seemed Colt's premonition was real and the Cerberus attack was already under way, "Captain, are you in a safe place?" Max asks.

" _ **I'm in my Cabin with a few other officer and Lt. Smith! Get Caepraka to send us reinforcements! We can't tell who's who, get in here now or this ship is lost! (GRENADE!) *BOOM*"**_ the screen becomes fuzzy as the explosion shakes the hull.

"I'll be there soon, Captain. Stay where you are, we'll be there as soon as possible!" Max shouts, hoping Colt could hear him.

" _ **Make it fast *BOOM* *zzkt* We're not going to hold out forever! *zzkt* and Tereshkova…"**_ he trails off as another explosion hits.

"Yes, sir?"

" _ **There's- *zzkt* traitor- *zzkt* on the sh- *zzkt* -mwell- *zzkt*"**_ the call suddenly severs and disconnects. Leaving Annali and Max to each other.

Slowly, Max turns around to face Annali, whom still hasn't lowered her gun, "Anna- Mam…" Max corrects himself as he knows he's lost the right to call her that now. Annali felt hurt as he uses her title and not her name, but he lied about himself, after everything she admitted about herself to him this was what how he decided to break it to her? "…Mam, please, putting this aside for now, we have to get to the Kilimanjaro before it falls to Cerberus control-"

Annali pushes the gun barrel to his forehead as her anger begins to take over, "You are going to tell me truth about everything about you and who you work for. You will no longer call me by name… only mam or Officer. Do you understand?" she asks authoritarianly. Max looks down at her, meeting her eyes and wordlessly telling her 'I'm sorry'. This nearly breaks Annali, "I SAID DO YOU UNDERSTAND?" she screams, tears flowing out of her eyes.

Max breaks eye contact with her, turning away from her and nodding, "Yes… mam…" he says, a small tear rolling down his cheek. He had done enough damage to her but he now had other problems.

" _ **ALL COMBAT READY PERSONNEL; THE KILIMINJARO IS UNDER CERBERUS ATTACK! REPORT TO SHUTTLE BAYS IN PREPARATION TO BOARD THE- WHAT THE HELL?"**_

*BOOM*

The ship shakes as something outsied the ship creates a shockwave. Annali and Max stumble but don't fall as the shaking stops. But soon multiple explosion could be heard outside of the ship.

The fleet was under attack.

" _ **CERBERUS CRUISERS JUST JUMPED FROM FTL! TAKING FIRE! ALL PERSONNEL REPORT TO BATTLESTATIONS IMMEDIATELY!"**_

*BOOM*

The ship rocks again as the hull is peppered with cruiser fire, "This was their plan from the start, they wanted the Kilimanjaro here," Max states as he regains his balance.

"What?" Annali asks, confused.

"They somehow knew about this mission from the start and then forged their identities to slip into the ship unnoticed. Their plan is to take the Kilimanjaro," Max explains as he grabs his Omni-tool and attaches it to his wrist.

"For what purpose?" Annali asks.

"Probably to sneak past Alliance defenses and make a surprise strike somewhere. Probable the defense committee. I have no idea," Max explains and then turns to Annali.

"Before we go, I… *sigh* I'm truly sorry… I wish I could've told you sooner," Max apologizes.

"You should've told me sooner," Annali states angrily but she holds it in for the sake of the mission and steps aside from the door, "You get to the armory and suit up while I gather a task force to board the Kilimanjaro. And stay at the armory or I will have you arrested," she nearly snarls at him.

"I have to be on that ship, I won't allow Colt to die there in a corner. The last thing he said was that there was a traitor on the ship, besides the Alliance impersenators. I couldn't hear the name but I heard '-mwell"… Fuck, don't tell me it's him…" Max paces around the room in frustration.

"Who do you think it is?" Annali asks.

"I don't want to believe it's him but… there's no one with a last name that ends with 'mwell' other than…" he looks at Annali with a worried face, "We have to get on board, now," Max walks past her and up the small steps to the Engine room. Annali trails just behind him, she collapses her pistol and attaches it to her holster, even if he wasn't with Cerberus she was still weary of his identity and who he actually was.

As they walked out of the Engine room, Annali grabs Max's arm and pins him to the wall, "Don't ever speak to me again, unless spoken to. Understood?" Annali tells him threateningly, a bit coldly than she wanted but she didn't care, Max had broken her trust. It was over.

Max looked down behind him but not at Annali and nods, "I understand," he says before she lets go of him. Max takes off down the hall toward the flight of stairs but stops before taking another step. Annali watches him carefully, expecting him to turn to her but instead the opposite.

Max lets out a sigh… and continues down the stairs.

Once he was out of earshot, Annali's anger resurfaces and her fist flies into the wall, nearly denting it. One after another, her fist collides with the metal surface, her talons were starting to cut into her palms just by how hard she was punching the wall. Her head collides with the wall and she keeps it there, screaming at the top of her lungs until slowly fading into whimper of sadness. Tears began flowing down her face as that was all she could do now. Cry. It was too painful to accept that her lover had lied to her, taking in all of her personal sotries and not once sharing any of his own. It seemed eevrything about him was a lie and what made her feel worse was the thought that she had finally found someone she could live her life with. Possibly farther than just a simple relationship. And it was all shattered. The glass that held them both up had shattered into billions of tiny fragments, too many to try and put together. The only thing true about him was his name.

"Oh mother… what do I do?... please… tell me…" she asks, hoping to get an answer. The only other person who could provide such an asnwer was Max.

*BOOM*

The ship shakes as another explosion shakes the Trianis, shaking Annali out of thought. Now wasn't the time to dwell on about personal feelings, what was at stake was the safety of the fleet. She wipes her face of tears and runs toward the elevator. Feelings had to be a mattter for another time. Right now, they were under attack.

[

"Mam, shields are 65% and dropping steadily!"

"Keep the pressure up! Don't let up!" Caepraka orders.

"Captain, another ship just dropped from FTL, the Victrition is taking fire now!"

The ship rocked with every hit the shields took, the Cerberus Cruisers were putting up a fight and they were not letting up. For some reason, they hadn't fired on the Kilimanjaro, what with Cerberus forces already fighting to take control of it which is what Caepraka had already assumed. Their only chance to survive was to get a boarding party on the ship, retake the Kilimanjaro, and get their Big Gun back up.

"Any contact with the Kilimanjaro?" Caepraka asks.

"No, Captain. They must be under heavy Cerberus fire if they can't access their Communications!" Chance explains.

"Blasted Cerberus scum, how did we not detect them earlier?" Caepraka asks.

"Unknown," one of the crewmen asks.

At that moment, Annali enters the bridge quickly running up to Caepraka, "Mam, I've made contact with Kilimanjaro," she states.

Caepraka turns to her, "You did? What's the situation?" she walks toward Annali.

"The Captain is safe but not for long, there's chaos happening all over the ship and it seems they're facing heavy casualties. We need to get on board immediately or we lose the ship along with the fleet," Annali epxlains.

"Agreed, I have multpile squads waiting in the hangar bay for deployment as well as the Victrition but with Cerberus cruisers so close I don't think the shuttles will make it to the Kilimanjaro's shuttle bay," Caepraka explains as she pulls up the model on the Holo-display for the positions of the fleet and the enemy.

There were two Cerberus cruisers firing on both the Trianis and Victrition but not the Kilimanjaro. The Trianis and Victrition were too far from the Kilimanjaro, there was too much space for the shuttles to travel and they would be sitting ducks if they were deployed. Then an idea sprung up in Annali's head, "I think I know a way to get our boarding party on," Annali states.

"What's your plan?" she asks.

"There's too much space in between us and them. We need to pilot the Trianis closer to the Kilimanjaro, close enough so our shuttle can quickly get in," Annali explains.

"What?"

Annali quickly establishes a connection with the Victrition, _**"We could use a good plan right now! Our shields won't last long while we're here!"**_ Captain Linnius states.

"Captain, Annali thinks she has a plan to secure the Kilimanjaro," Caepraka tells her.

" _ **Any plan is as good as any! Speak!"**_ she states.

"Listen, they're obviously avoiding to hit the Kilimanjaro, if we get closer to the ship, their window to fire on us drastically shrinks and our shuttles will have safer window to travel through. Once we're in we'll make the hike towards the bridge and secure it. We'll then proceed to securing the rest of the ship," Annali explains.

Caepraka props her arms on the Holo-display, nodding, "It's risky… but it's all we've got," she admits.

" _ **Agreed, I'll start our approach. Have your shuttles ready once we make the move. Linnius, out!"**_ with that, the comm disconnects.

"Annali, I have assigned you a squad but they are short on man power. Get two combat capable personnel to fill in the ranks. I suggest you take Tereshkova with you," Annali's guts feels like it's churning as soon as she suggested him.

"Tereshkova I've assigned to another squad so I'll look for anoth-"

"No, take him with you. I need someone who knows the ship from the inside to guide you through it. You're gonna need someone else to join you," she tells her, her word making the decision final. Annali almost wanted to shout no but she couldn't bring herself to do that. She needed to find someone else that could fill in the blank. Some one with plenty of combat experience, someone who can fire a gun, someone who can accomplish a task quickly… some one like…

"Ja'quar," Annali says.

"What?"

"Ja'quar has experience as a Spec-ops Operative. I don't like it either but he's the best choice at the moment. He's fought in many battles and he is a skilled martial artist, equivalent to my skills. I… *sigh* request his release, mam," Annali asks with a sour tone.

Caepraka looks at Annali for what seems like forever, not once looking anywhere else but her eyes. Finally, she sighs an shakes her head, "This must be the worst decision I've made… but…" she opens her Omni-tool, "-I've made worse. Guard!" she speaks into her wrist.

" _ **Yes, Captain?"**_

"I'm authorizing the release and reinstatement of Ja'quar, the one and only person we have that's in a cell," she speaks.

" _ **Are you sure, Captain?"**_ the guard questions her like she's crazy.

"Did I stutter? Get him fitted with combat armor and have him report to Shuttle 037," she orders.

" _ **Yes, Captain! I'll make sure he gets there,"**_ the comm disconnects.

Caepraka looks at Annali and waves her away, "This better work or else we're floating frozen in space soon," Caepraka looks back toward the Holo-display, "Dismissed," she states.

Annali salutes then heads for the armory, wasting no time to get ready. This was going to be a tough fight. And they were going need all the help they could get. Ja'quar is a risky card to pull but if playing Uno taught her anything then it had to be she needed to hope her opponent didn't curse her with a draw card.

[

Once Max had donned his Armor, he felt more guilt as he wore it; the N7 symbol kept reminding him of the grueling torture he had to endure to keep his mind in check and to uphold the code. No one was to know he was an N7 trainee or even an N7 operative. He was lucky enough to get to N6 and this was his most challenging assignment out of everything he had gone through. Becoming an N7 had cost him many oppportunities in life most people would take. It cost him too much. It cost him Annali. Thinking back to the room they were in, he remembered her frightened eyes, how they showed fear, confusion, denial, and most of all, fury. He betrayed her trust and he made it look like he was only gathering information on her all the while feeding her lies to keep his shameful façade. Max had lost the one person he cared about, the one who helped him see there was someone worth fighting for. Worth dying for.

A sudden force then smacked his back, snapping him out of thought. Turning to his right he saw it was Ma'rice, "Hey Max, you coming to lead us into the unknown?" Ma'rice nudges his arm with his elbow.

"Yeah, I guess I am. I saw this one coming at all," Max says.

"Yeah, me neither; first I'm told the Kilimanjaro's under attack from the inside and now I'm told we're about to storm the ship. If we can't take back the ship then this mission is done for along with the rest of us," Ma'rice states.

"Right," Max agrees. Colt was in deep trouble, if the ship fell to Cerberus then they could use the Kilimanjaro's guns to blow the cruisers away. That was not option for him. They had to retake the Kilimanjaro.

"Everyone to your designated squads and shuttles; the cruisers are making their approach to the Dreadnought," one of the Turian squad leaders announced. There about a hundred or so soldiers waiting orders and they were scrambling to get to their squads. Max knew he was going with Ma'rice but they were missing two squad members.

"Who are we waiting for?" Max asks.

"Annali and one other person. Don't know who it is but I guess we'll find out, won't we?" Ma'rice responds. This was going to be an uncomfortable ride for Annali as well as himself. No one knew about what happened in the Engine room and it was best it stayed that way.

[

Annali arrived at the armory, fully decked out in her armor, waiting, with two other guards for Ja'quar to finish assembling his armor. Bringing Ja'quar was a risky idea, but they were all out of options; they needed someone they knew could get the job done and he was their best bet at getting far within the ship. With Max's guidance and knowledge of the ship, they know exactly where to go and what route to take. She just needed to keep her cool with him until he could fully explain himself to her. Now wasn't time for feelings, right now they needed Ja'quar.

The door unlocked as someone from the other side was coming out, seems as though he was done. The door split open as Ja'quar stepped out with his black armor, not considered heavily armored but it could stop multiple shots from penetrating his body. Ja'quar stopped just in front of Annali, looking down at her but not giving any sort of sass, "Where are we headed, Commander?" he asks.

"We're boarding the Kilimanjaro, and you are going to help us," she took one of the guards rifles and pushes it into Ja'quar's arms, confusing him, "You need a gun and we need an extra man. I hope your shooting skills are still adequate," she tells him as they begin heading for the shuttle.

"I didn't become Spec-ops because I was an 'adequate' shot," Ja'quar tells her as he collapses the rifle and straps it to his back.

They enter the shuttle bay and head toward Shuttle 37, Annali scanning the bay for Ma'rice, "Ja'quar, you will be with me along with a few others," Annali turns to the guards behind her, "The rest of you report to your squads and get ready for deployment," she orders.

"Yes, mam," they say in unison before dispersing.

The two continue along, searching for the shuttle before Annali's eye catches Ma'rice standing next to Max. Max sees her but quickly cuts eye contact and heads for the shuttle. Somewhat of a relief to Annali. Ma'rice spots them and waves them over as they make their approach, "About time, Annali. We got 30 seconds before the cruisers are in position so everyone shuold be ready to go now. The squad is in the shuttle," he states, pointing toward their shuttle.

"We have the last addition to our squad," Annali tells him before side-stepping and revealing Ja'quar.

Ma'rice's face quickly turned to one of confusion and annoyance, "Are you serious?" he asks, hoping she was joking.

"We have no choice, he'll take an order and follow it through. I don't like it either but we have to deal with it. Now is this going to be a problem for you because I can get you off this squad and pair you up with another if you'd like," Annali threatens.

Ma'rice looks at Ja'quar and the two meet eyes, Ja'quar seemed as though he wasn't in the mood to start something up so he looked away. Ma'rice turns back to Annali, "No… it won't be problem. I'm just… not sure about it," Ma'rice whispers.

"I don't either but now isn't the time for personal ideals to get in the way. We have a ship to retake and a Captain to save," she starts for the shuttle and boards it, "So get on you two," she orders them. Ja'quar and Ma'rice stare at one another before quickly getting on. Tensions were high at the moment and Annali could feel it. Especially with Max standing next to her. Neither of them say a word to each other or even acknowledge the presence of one another. It hurt Annali to treat him that way but it all came down to this; Max was never a Combat Engineer, he never was. Taking one glance at his armor she saw the N7 logo on his breast plate. That's who he was, he was the afore mentioned N7 stowaway they had hypothesized earlier. Another surge of anger swept over Annali but she held it in for the sake of herself and the others. She puts on her helmet to as the shuttle door closes.

"Cruisers in position, we'll be making our approach to the Kilimanjaro in 10 seconds!" the pilot announces. But his voice catches Annali's head and it reminded her of someone.

Stepping into the cock-pit, she saw it was the pilot that got Ma'rice and her off planet while avoiding the Trianis's line of fire, "Hey, it's you again!" Annali says.

The pilot looks behind him and smiles, "Hey there, Commander. How's things going for ya?" he asks before turning back to the controls.

Annali nervously rubs her arm as she decides to keep today's events out of topic, "Nothing much, the bridge is a pretty boring place to be," Annali says instead.

"I hear you. It's pretty boring sitting in the cockpit, waiting for something to do. But hey, now I have something to do; I get to drop you off in the Kilimnjaro. Speaking of which, it's time!" he takes the controls and shuttles shakes in response as he pilots the Shuttle.

The other shuttles underbelly thrusters flare up as they move the shuttle over the opening. The cruisers have positioned themselves dangerously close to the Kilimanjaro, the cruiser wings nearly meeting at the top over the Kilimanjaro. There were rounds of fire flying beneath them as the Cerberus cruisers tried to fire on the Turian cruisers while trying not to hit the Dreadnought like Annali had anticipated.

" _ **All shuttles, prepare to drop in 3…2…1… Go Go Go!"**_ immediately the six shuttles dropped down through the hangar opening and began their approach.

Everyone in the shuttle could feel the vessel drop down and then quickly accelarate. Rounds where mainly directed toward the Turian hulls but only a few stray rounds flew in the shuttles direction. Some of them were narrowly missing the shuttles as they continued on the path. The vessel shook as one round flew just over head, "12 seconds to contact," the pilot announces. Everyone in the shuttle began checking their weapons,; loading their clips in and checking their gear. Max was eager to get on the ship, he needed to locate Captain Colt and secure the ship. His shields would get him through the fire but he still needed to be careful, who knew what Cerberus was fully capable of, "We're docking in 6 seconds!" the pilot yelled to the back. Annali got in position in front of the door as did Max, Ma'rice and Ja'quar, no one was comfortable. Max and Annali were standing side-by-side as they prepared to jump into the fray. Neither of them exchanged a glance toward the other, no one said anything and the cabin was filled with silence. Annali needed everyone to stay focused, it was only a question if she could keep hers.

"Tereshkova, once we exit you'll guide us to the Bridge where we'll secure it gain system access to the ships camera system. From there we'll get to the Captain's cabin and locate Colt and then procceed to securing the rest of the ship. Ma'rice will take a team with the other Alliance members to secure exact key points on the ship. Understood?" Annali asks without looking at Max.

"Yes, mam," Max acknowledges.

"We're docked, opening doors in 3…2…1…"

"Move!"

 **Sorry for the delay guys. Unfortunately, once school had started I was immediately given a crap ton of projects to do and homework to finish. The past few months were spent writing chapters for this and my other major story. However, I could only get a few sentences done before I got exhausted from all the work. Especially when College is priority.**

 **Soon, I'll be returning my school laptop and that's were the problems start. My old laptop broke down and haven't the time to buy a new one. So in case I don't write as much during the summer then you understand why.**

 **Again, it's been hard trying to write up a chapter but I'm trying my best to get more out as often as possible. I won't force myself to write something if I'm not up for it. Rushing things ruins the quality of the story so I try to write up some paragraphs when I feel like it. Upload schedule is low but I'll try to raise it up now that I'm getting back into the swing of things.**

 **I'll be writing the next chapter once I upload this so I don't leave you guys with another cliffhanger. It'll be just as long as this so it may take a while.**

 **Thank you for sticking around and as always have a nice day ;)**


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

The doors open as Annali shouts for the go ahead but they are stopped when an entire platoon of Alliance troopers point their rifles at them. Many of them were on the balcony were radiomen saw shuttles enter and exit the hangar bay. It seemed they managed to secure the Hangar but the battle was still very fresh in their minds. No one was sure what to do, not even Annali who had already drawn her Vindicator in response, "Whoa whoa whoa, don't fire, they're friendlies," A man in black and blue armor shouts behind them. The man walks in between the troops, lowering their weapons as he goes, "You're with the Trianis?" the man asks.

"Yes, we are. We're here to secure the ship. We have a few other shuttles coming in with some reinforcements," Annali tells him.

"Good, now we can take this ship back," the man states. A few men cheer as the shuttles fly in and Turian troops exit, they didn't care if they weren't Alliance as long as they had back up, they were happy as ever.

The squad steps out and joins the ranks of their Human counterparts. The shuttle doors close as everyone gets out then it dives back down through the opening back to the Trianis as another shuttle takes its place.

Annali looks around at the bay and notices bullet holes scattered everywhere; the attack must have been devastating, "How many casualties soldier?" Annali asks.

"Call me Sgt. Rios, uh…"

"Liaison Officer Veren but I retain the rank of a 1st Lieutenant," Annali clarifies.

"Ah, well then, perhaps you can lead a squad to the Captain; the last we heard of him he was in his quarters. Tereshkova can guide you there, he know's the way," Sgt. Rios calls on Max.

"I do, I'll get us there in no time," Max says as he takes off his helmet.

"Before you do that, I need you to secure the bridge; Cerberus is on their way to taking it and we didn't have the manpower until now to secure it. We were only able to send a few men to escort the Captain to his quarters to send a distress signal. He's currently holed up in there," Sgt. Rios explains.

"Understood, we'll move to secure the bridge immediately," Max says as he loads a clip into his M8 Avenger.

"Good plan, sir. Officer Veren, he will guide you to the bridge. I'll take care of the squads here and direct them to their positions," Sgt. Rios states before walking away and shouting out orders.

"Sir?" Annali turns to face Max. Max doesn't look at her, not wanting to elicit another bad reaction from her but Annali was already past having to deal with anything that would jeopardize their efficiency, "I don't care, just get us to the bridge," she orders him.

Max doesn't hesitate as he puts on his helmet and waves for the squad to follow. Annali looks at Ja'quar as he puts on his helmet and slaps a clip into his Vindicator before moving to follow the squad. She stops him before saying, "Do anything stupid or I put a bullet in your head," she warns him.

"I have no intention to piss you off right now, mam. Let's just get this over with," Ja'quar tells her. Annali doesn't like his tone but they were wasting time so she let's go of him and unclips her Vindicator.

"Then let's get moving," she tells him as she motions for him to rejoin the squad.

They get on an elevator platform which raises them up to the next level and next to another door guarded by Alliance personnel armed with Predator pistols, "You guys headed for the bridge?" the guard asks.

"Yes, I'm getting us to the bridge. We're making the push," Max tells him.

"We have a squad holed up in the bridge currently fighting Cerberus insurgents. Sneak up behind them and take 'em by surprise," the guard bangs on the door to open it, letting Max and the rest of the squad into the hallway, "Good luck, sir," the guard says before the door shuts behind them.

The hallway was littered with red lights blaring, scorch marks, and bullet holes as well as fallen Alliance crew members scattered along the halls. One man's chest was covered with bullet holes as another seemed to have been shot with a shotgun, his chest was burst open from the front. A janitor was also shot dead as a pool of red had formed around him as he was lying face down. They made no exceptions, "Fucking hell…" Max whispered as he examined a fallen crew member, his chest had three bullet holes as well as one in the neck, "I'm sorry friend… wish I saw this coming…" Max says sorrowfully.

"Man, they really surprised them," Ma'rice states as he looks down at the crew. The squad takes glances toward the Alliance personnel, shaking their heads in sorrow. This really was a gruesome sight to see for anyone.

Max had to find the mole soon before he or she could do any more damage. But first come first and the bridge had to be secured before they make their advance for Captain Colt, "I'll take point and guide us up to the top. Everyone behind me," Max tells them. Annali circles her hand in the air for the squad to rally behind her.

"Form up," she tells them. The squad lines up behind her, waiting for Max to guide them.

"Let's move," Max says as they start toward the bridge.

[

"What their location, Smith?" Colt asks.

"They're posted down the hall to the left of the corner, they're not letting up," Smith notifies him.

"Is that all?"

"They're gathering a larger group, not sure how many but they will surely have us outgunned and soon enough they'll be able to rush our position," Smith explains.

"Do we have confirmation of reinforcements?" Colt asks.

"Unknown, sir. If they have already then we should be expecting some soon. Though, I'm not sure how we'll know ahead of time so we don't shoot them," Smith says as a nearby explosion goes off. A few crewmen yell in response as they rush past the door to deal with the threat.

"Tereshkova will notify me through comms; we have our own comms channel should we need to exchange intel and such," Colt explains as he checks his gun for signs of faultiness.

"The Agent, sir?" Smith asks.

"Yes, 'The Agent'. You already know what his mission is," Colt states.

"I'm aware of that."

*BOOM*

Another explosion goes off but this time it was a lot closer. Suddenly, one of the crewmen burst into the room, "Captain, they've their push towards us. Now would be a good time to get out and let them waltz through," the man states.

"Are the explosives set?" Colt asks as he finalizes his pistol safety checks.

"Already primed, here's the detonator. On your command we'll make our retreat to Section B," the man pulls out a tube-shaped device from his belt and hands it to Colt.

Colt takes the detonator and places it on his belt, "Very well, you'll make your retreat once I've detonated the explosives," Colt states as he switches the safety from his predator pistol off.

"Us? You're not coming, sir?" Smith asks.

"No, I have to get to Engineering to find out what's going on down there. They've rigged something down there to act as a failsafe in case they don't take this ship. Once I've detonated the explosives more of them will be coming down the hallway to try and finish you off. I need you to distract them while I get to-"

"Captain, you can't-"

"I don't want to hear it, Smith. They've done something to the core and I aim to find out what they've done. Get the men ready for the retreat and-"

"No, Captain," Smith interrupts. Colt looks up at her as she pulls out her pistol, "You're not going alone. I'll have the Corporal lead them away while we get to the Engine room. This way, you have a better chance at surviving," Smith says as she loads a fresh clip into her M8.

Colt chuckles and shakes his head, "You think I won't make it?" he asks.

"I'm not saying that just you might not make it is all," Smith clarifies with a smart-ass smile.

"Whatever you say. Let's move now," Colt says as the exit the room and are then surrounded by Alliance soldiers.

"Sir, we'll escort you out," one of the soldiers tells him.

"Negative, son. You are to fall back and lure them away while Smith and I get to Engineering," Colt explains.

"Engineering? Engine room's lost, sir, we need to get you out and to a secure area," the soldier states.

"Soldier, you are to lure them away so we can get to the Engine room and investigate the area. We have intel suggesting Cerberus has tampered with the core so if we let this sabotage go unnoticed then this ship is lost along with everyone else," Smith yells at the soldier.

The soldier looks between Colt and Smith but then ultimately complies, "Copy that! Everyone, fall back to the secondary line of defense!" the Soldier yells.

The crewmen fire off a few shots before retreating back to the planned location. The soldier's surrounding Colt escort him to the intersection where the Halls meet in a T. The crewmen take a left down to the fallback area while Colt and Smith split right to the Engine room, "Good luck, sir!" the soldier calls out before rejoining the rest of the squad. The Soldier stays just behind the corner to look down the hallway as the Alliance impersonators storm the hall, "NOW, CAPTAIN!" the Soldier shouts. Colt reaches into his pouch and pulls out the detonator, flipping the cap and then pushing the button.

*BOOM*

The explosion rattles the floor and echoes through the halls, creating a much louder effect than normal. But with such an enclosed space, there's no wonder why it is.

Colt and Smith begin their run towards the Engine room as the squad fires on what was left of the Cerberus attackers. Colt knew there was something up with the Core, if the messages meant anything then this ship may have been rigged to blow.

"What's the plan, Captain?" Smith asks.

"Get to the engine room and kill anyone who isn't Alliance. If we come across Cromwell…" Colt looks at Smith as they jog down the hall, his stare wordlessly telling Smith what he expects of her.

"Got it, sir… no prisoners, then," Smith nods in agreement.

"Let's see if Tereshkova is here yet," Colt brings up his Omni-tool as they continue moving.

[

"Watch the fire!" Max warns as another wave of bullets zips past them.

They managed to get to the corridor leading to the Bridge but the area was already taken, they just needed to push harder to get in and retake it. But there seemed to be more than they had anticipated at first. They weren't going to let up easily.

"We need to get in there, now!" Ma'rice shouts on the opposite side of the hall.

"No way we can get in, too much incoming fire!" Annali shouts back as she flinches from a ricochet just over her head.

"Got any more grenades?" Ma'rice asks.

"NO, if we throw a grenade we risk shattering the Bridge windows and creating a vacuum into space. The Bridge will be lost to us," Max warns.

"Damn," Ma'rice groans in frustration. He fires off a few shots but gets returned with Cerberus fire.

Max peeks around the small corner he has for cover to scan the hall; Cerberus had set up a turret in the middle of the entrance while others were hiding on either side of the entrance firing on them. They were holed in. Ja'quar seemed to have the same conclusion as well as he backed against the wall, shaking his head. Max's wrist flashed Orange as a call was pending for him, " _The hell? It must be Colt,"_ Max thought. He collapsed his M8, attaching it to his back and then pressing on his wrist.

" _ **Tereshkova, you there?"**_ Colt asks with a heavy grunt.

"Sir, are you okay? What's your location?" Max asks.

" _ **Had to move *zzkt* too many Cerberus guns headed my way *zzkt* heading to *zzkt*"**_ Colt image began to fuzz and garble more and more.

"Captain, what's your location!" Max shouts into his Omni-tool but then the image suddenly cuts out, "Damn," Max hisses as he pulls out his M8.

"Where is he?" Annali asks.

"Unknown, Cerberus must have employed a Jammer from the bridge. We have to make our push now," Max says as he pulls out a grenade.

Annali sees the explosive and grabs his hand before he could throw it, "What the hell are you doing? Do you want to suck us out into space?" Annali asks, reminding Max what he had said earlier.

"This is a flashbang grenade, it'll only stun them. So I suggest everyone wait for the 'bang' to go off," Max explains as he pulls the pin on it, "Ready! Flashbang out!" without looking he throws the flashbang into the bridge, landing just in front of the turret gunner.

The gunner looks down at the can-like object in curiosity, "What the h-"

*BANG*

A blast of sound and light suddenly emanates from the device, quickly blinding and stunning the Cerberus occupants. Max sees this and realizes it's only a matter of time before they regain their senses, "They're stunned, let's move!" Max says as he steps out and fires on the turret gunner, quickly dealing with him. The rest of the squad follows suit as they fire on Cerberus, one by one taking them down without their noticing. Eventually, the bridge came to a silence as the occupants were quickly dealt with.

Annali looks out the bridge window towards the Trianis and sees multiple fires coming from the hull; their shields were getting weaker and they weren't going to last long without them as well as the Victrition.

"Get our comms back up and clear that jammer! We need clear communication between each other if we're going to effectively secure this ship," Annali orders.

Max walks over to the Comms Terminal and disables the Jammer; a flow of steady communications channels then floods the terminal with multiple distress calls coming from all over the ship, "Comms are back up," Max says.

"Sgt. Rios, comms are back up. You can communicate with your men now more clearly!" Annali notifies him.

" _ **Copy that! We'll begin our attack. Sgt. Rios out!"**_ the comm falls silent as the call disconnects.

Annali takes off her helmet and looks back at Max, her mind now fully convinced he wasn't a Combat Engineer; no Engineer would ever order a squad what to do, especially if he was Pvt. 1st class. If this told her anything then Max was a much higher rank than she had thought if he was able to elicit a 'yes sir' from Sgt. Rios. He must have been aware Max was of higher rank before he arrived on the Kilimanjaro. It only made Annali want to pummel Max for deceiving her so badly, it hurt her spirit badly how he had deceived her. She wished to the heavens that Max wouldn't join the many guys that wooed her only to try and take advantage of her. But Max was a different scenario; his infiltration onto their ship was most likely because he was a trained Spec-ops agent and he was meant to be inside. This only helped ease her pain from him since she would have tried her best to hold her mission secret too. Max was only doing his job. This brought more conflict to Annali and it was starting to get frustrating; was she supposed to be mad anyways or did she just overreact? What would mother have done? What would be the right thing to do? _"Forgive?"_ she thought. It seemed to be her only choice but she couldn't rid herself of the anger that still burned deep within her. She needed time to think.

"Captain, comms are back up, can hear me? What's your location?" Max speaks into his helmet. Nothing, "Damn, he must be in trouble," Max says as he pulls up his Omni-tool.

"He said he was moving, wasn't he?" Ma'rice asks.

"Yeah but where is he going is the question," Max states as he tries to contact Colt through his Omni-tool, "Colt, what's your loca-"

" _ **I'm in a bit of bind at the moment!"**_ Colt yells. Gunfire could be heard as the zipping of bullets whizzing past him.

"Where are you, sir?" Max asks.

" _ **We're making our way to Engineering, I think the Core's been tampered with! I'm going to try and *zzkt*look around,"**_ Colt explains as he ducks his head lower.

"Colt, you should've told me you were going there! There are too many contacts down there! Wait 'till I get there-"

" _ **No time, son. Pretty soon everyone's going to get the word you've taken the Bridge and that's where the sabotage comes in,"**_ Colt states. He fires a few blind shots over him only to be greeted by richochets bouncing off his cover.

"We've already taken it, I'm heading down there now!" Max says as he disconnects the call and unclips his M8 from his back, "Ma'rice I need you to accompany me," Max says as he takes off his helmet.

"Tereshkova, don't!" Annali shouts, stopping Max.

"He needs my help, I need you to stay here and guard the bridge while I-"

"No, I'll go with you."

"This is my problem, not yours, stay put."

"Tereshkova, my mission is to secure the Bridge and her Captain. I am not staying put!"

"I'm not asking you to stay put, I'm telling you-"

"Don't fucking tell me what to-"

"I SAID STAY PUT!" Max roars. His voice causing everyone to look at him and silences Annali. She was stunned; Max had never raised his voice on her. Ever. Max's face was red with anger but soon dies down as he realizes his mistake. Annali's face was one of pure shock and Max couldn't do anything to help her, "I… I'm sorry, Annali… but I can't afford to lose you… not now," he tries to apologize.

Annali looks away from Max, avoiding his eyes, neither saying a word until she speaks, "…Take Ja'quar with you… I need Ma'rice here to establish comms with the other officers…" she tells him, turning away from him and toward the window.

Max wanted to say more but they were running out of time. Colt was in trouble and he needed his aid now. Max sighs and puts on his helmet, unclipping his M8 and turning for the door; Ja'quar was standing by the door and it seemed he saw the whole thing unfold. But with his helmet in the way you couldn't tell what his reaction was. As Max approached him, he unclipped his Vindicator from his back, "On your mark… sir," Ja'quar says with a strain on the last word. Max wasn't surprised but he didn't want to think about it any further.

He took his time before saying, "Let's move!" the two began their run for the Engine room. Leaving the rest of the squad in the bridge.

Annali looked behind her to see them run off and disappear out of sight as they took the corner. Once they were gone she looked back out through the window. Ma'rice walks up and says, "I'm… sorry…" he says sorrowfully.

A small tear trickled out from her eye, falling down to her cheek and continuing down to her armor. However, Ma'rice couldn't see it. Annali was distraught, she never thought she would see Max turn on her like that. To see that he was only trying to protect even after she pulled a gun on him after she forbade him to say her name, he was only trying to protect her. She wanted to cry badly but it would only complicate the mission further. She needed to suck it up and move on, "Are the comms up?" she asks as she wipes her tears away.

"Yes, the teams are coordinating and beginning their push," Ma'rice tells her.

"Get camera systems up however you can and give them the locations of Cerberus teams in the area," Annali orders.

"What about the Captain?" Ma'rice asks.

"Hopefully, they get to him in time. If things go wrong then we're booking it to the Engine room, understood?" she orders.

"Affirmative, we'll be ready," Ma'rice confirms as he goes back to the comms channel.

All they could do now was wait.

[

Bullets continue to whiz by as Colt and Smith take cover from the line of fire, "I'm on my last clip, Smith! Have any spares?" Colt shouts over the gunfire.

"Hold on!" Smith tells him. She pops out of cover and fires two shots with her pistol, taking out two Cerberus operatives, "Okay, now I'm out!" Smith shouts.

"Oh come on! Ngh!" Colt flinches as a bullet bounces close to him, "Do you really not have anything that can help us?" Colt shouts.

"Well, I do have this," Smith pulls out a grenade causing Colt to look at her then at the grenade then back at her with a look of surprise, "Since when were you going to use it?" Colt asks.

"I was hoping to save it when we run out of ammo but now seems like a good time, I believe," Smith yells.

Colt gives her sarcastic glare before saying, "Gee, I wonder if we've run out of ammo already, here, let me check," Colt says as looks at the empty chamber of his pistol, "Yep, I'm broke," he yells.

Smith shakes her head and presses the countdown for it, "Grenade out!" she tosses the grenade over her shoulder and the two cover their ears for the defening sound.

*BLAM*

The explosion echoes through the halls, the floors vibrate violently for a split second before everything dies down to silence. Colt and Smith look up from their cover to see a mess of bodies scorched black and some limbs blown off. It was a gruesome sight but neither of them was fazed by it, "The Engine room should just be down this hall. Let's move," Smith says as they vault over their cover and gather ammo for their guns. Just as they approach the Engine room someone walks out from the door. It was Cromwell.

"Captain, thank goodness you alive," Cromwell states as he starts to walk toward them but they raise their weapons, stopping him in his tracks, "Whoa, what are you guys doing? I'm with you guys," he tells them.

"Don't fucking play dumb with me you traitorous scum. You've caused a shipwide attack and killed many innocent people, don't you dare think I don't know it's you," Colt snarls.

"What are you talking about?" Cromwell asks.

"Your logs, I've seen them, you've been conspiring with Cerberus this entire time. You told them we were coming, didn't you?" Colt corners him.

Cromwell's face changes to one of innocence to one of a smug look, "Didn't think you would find out so quickly. I underestimated you, Captain," he admits.

"Put your hands behind your head and get on the ground you traitor," Smith orders as she lines her barrel with his head.

"How does it feel to be the first officer now, Smith? Does it feel good?" he asks as he places his hands behind him.

"Shut your ass up and get on the ground," she pushes the barrel behind his head as he kneels.

Cromwell smiles deviously as he does her bidding, "Well? Does it?" he asks.

"I said quiet," she orders as she takes his pistol from his belt and throws it to Colt, "You'll be charged with Desertion to the enemy and the murder of innocent personnel members. I'll make sure you pay for what you've done," Smith hisses.

"You need to realize why I am doing this; the Alliance is cheating us all with these promises of a better life after service. Once you're in they own you forever until you're not essential anymore. You have to see that," Cromwell states.

"So you organize a mutiny on the ship and kill everyone that doesn't join your cause?" Colt asks him.

"Not my cause… it's him," Cromwell says vaguely.

"Who?" Colt asks.

"We both know who we're talking about," Cromwell tells him with a smug smile.

Colt's anger gets the better of him and he sends a powerful kick to Cromwell's face, knocking him to the floor, "I know you've rigged something on the Core, I intend on disabling it," Colt tells him, "Handcuff him," he orders.

Smith nods and places her M8 on the ground, reaching for her handcuffs. But before she could pull them out, Cromwell saw his opportunity; elbows Smith's knees, bringing her down and he grabs her assault rifle, hitting her face with the stock and then getting behind her, wrapping his arm around her neck. Colt was quick to react and he pulls out his pistol and Cromwell's, pointing them directly at them, "Ah-ah-ah, shoot me and I shoot her dead. Put your guns down," Cromwell warns as he points the barrel at her head. Smith was breathing heavily, blood was trickling down from the side of her head.

"Shoot him, Colt. It doesn't matter if he gets me what matters is you get to the Core," Smith tells him.

"No, I'm not letting this happen. Let her go, Bruce, and I'll let you go free," Colt tries to negotiate.

"Put your guns down and maybe I'll consider it," Cromwell orders him. Smith flinches as he presses the gun barrel harder to her head.

"Alright-alright… fine," Colt drops his dual pistols from his hands, lifting his hands in the air to show he's fully unarmed, "There, now let her go, please," Colt says as he makes no move to her.

Cromwell looks at him from head to toe, his face remaining expressionless. But then he smiles and shrugs, "That's mighty kind of you Cap but I know your reinforcements arrived a while ago and they've already taken the Bridge which means… this plan is a bust. And like all failed plans there is always… a failsafe," Cromwell smiles widely. He then takes the stock of the rifle and butts Smith in the back of the head, knocking her out.

Colt moves quickly and catches her before she fell hard on the floor while Cromwell stepped back and pulled up his Omni-tool, "Say goodbye to your ships heart!" he says as he prepares to initiate the sequence.

"CROMWELL!" Max's voice resonates from behind and he hits Cromwell with a strong Neural Shock. But before Cromwell could succumb to the full effects, his finger manages to press down on the holographic button.

*BLAMM*

A massive explosion resonates from the Engine room, rocking the hull violently causing everyone to stumble and fall. The lights flicker on and off and suddenly the ship begins to tilt to the right. The Core's sound dims down from a hum to silence. The lights then dim out to darkness, rendering the hallways pitch black.

" _ **We have a sudden loss of power! Switching to Auxillary!"**_ a voice goes off over the speakers. A hum resonates elsewhere and the lights come back but only dimly lit.

Max and Ja'quar regain their footing and make their way to Colt who is still holding the unconscious Smith in his arms, "Are you okay, Captain? How is she?" Max asks as he kneels to assess them.

"She's just unconscious, I'm fine, I just took a bullet to the arm is all. Cromwell just blew the Core," Colt tells him as he takes Smith's right arm and wraps it around over his neck as Max takes the other.

"I'll see if I can get it back online. But first let's get you someplace safe, this ship is going to turn into one hell of a Merry go round," Max tells him as he helps them into the Engine room. As they walk in they are met with smoke billowing out from the opposite side of the corridor. On either side of them are seats designed to keep people secured from flying everywhere should the ship make a crash landing. Max helps Colt seat Smith on it and secures her seatbelts. Max then helps Colt to his seat next to her and secures him as well, "Best if you stay here where it's safe," he tells him.

"I'm not arguing," Colt tells him.

"I'll get the Core online meanwhile you stay here," Max says as he starts toward the Engine room. Ja'quar follows just behind him as they are then stopped by the door, the holographic symbol flashing red, "Looks jammed," Max theorizes.

"Or perhaps it's the lockdown protocol sealing down any entrances to the room. Perhaps to prevent any leaks from the Core from flooding the rest of the ship," Ja'quar says, earning a quirky look from Max, "It's just a thought. Let's pry this thing open," Ja'quar says as he looks around the cabin for something to wedge in between the door.

"So after what you just said about Eezo leaks flooding the ship you want to open it?" Max asks a bit confused.

"I said perhaps, doesn't mean I'm right. Here we go," he finds a crowbar and jams it roughly in between the doors. Max decides to go with it since he had nothing else in mind. While Ja'quar pulled the Crowbar, Max pushed it with all his might, their combined strength slowly prying the door open but at the same time allowing more smoke to escape from the opposite side.

"Looks like there's a fire on the other side," Max says as he pushes harder.

"That's not important, keep pushing," Ja'quar grunts. Eventually, the door locks give up and the door opens fully. Smoke then bellows out but the two are unfazed by and walk straight through, sure enough, there was a few fires but nothing major. They were then introduced by a massive near spherical room and in the middle was a massive ball of steel supported by multiple pillars and beams crossing through it. There was a small catwalk to the main console and next to it was a secured door that lead into the chamber leading to the Core directly.

"Please don't touch anything," Max says as they walk to the console.

"I'd rather not get into an argument with your ass right now. Just fix the damn thing before-"

*CREAK*

The hull suddenly rumbles and tilts in another direction, causing Max and Ja'quar to stumble and fall back to the left. They catch themselves on the railing as the ship tilts nearly on its side, "Crap, the stabilizers must be out!" Max shouts.

"You think?" Ja'quar shouts as well.

*CREAK* *GROAN*

Max taps the side of his helmet to get into contact with the bridge, "What's it look out there?" he yells but then the hull tilts farther to the right, bringing Max and Ja'quar over and hanging under the bars.

"SHIT!"

[

Everyone on the bridge was on the right side of the bridge as the hull had tilted suddenly and caused everyone to slide. Annali and Ma'rice were standing on the side of the Holo-display as the rest where just under them, "What's the situation?" Annali asks.

"The gravitational stabilizers are offline, the ship can't keep it's own course anymore. We're being pulled by the Planet's gravitational field," Ma'rice tells her.

Annali was in pure shock, "If the Core doesn't come back online soon then we'll be-"

"Incinerated on re-entry. We'll be a bunch of flaming spare parts if the Core doesn't restore Engines and shields," Ma'rice explains. Things then take a turn for the worst when the hull then tilts upside down, forcing Annali and Ma'rice to fall forward.

"WHOOAA!" they both yell as they fall on the ceiling and roll down with the rest of the squad. The hull continues to roll towards the planet but the nose of the Kilimanjaro begins to turn toward the Trianis, a collision was imminent.

[

"Helmsman! Divert power to thrusters, elevate us 100 meters and level off at 130!" Caepraka hollers.

"Yes, mam!" the Helmsman shouts in return.

The Trianis's belly lights up with multiple thrusters quickly raising the Trianis. But the Kilimanjaro's front was coming in too fast, they needed to get out of the way immediately, "All thrusters to max!"

"Adjusting, standby!" the thrusters burn red hot as more power is sent to them. The Trianis quickly rises higher just as the Kilimanjaro's nose comes into close proximity with the Trianis's hull.

*Screech*

Out of pure luck, the Trianis manages to dodge the Kilimanjaro as it only scrapes the bottom of the hull and misses as it veers below them toward the planet.

[

Max and Ja'quar were left hanging upside down, holding on to the rails for dear life, "Damn, I think we're caught in the planets gravitational pull," Max says.

"Explains why the ship is upside down," Ja'quar replies. Suddenly, Ja'quars left arm slips and leaves him dangling with one arm, "Crap, I'm slipping," Ja'quar shouts. His fingers begin to lose grip with each section sliding out, "S-shit!" his fingers finally give out and he falls towards the ceiling but then something grabs his right arm.

"I can't believe I'm saving your ass," Max says as he holds on tightly to both the rail and Ja'quar.

"I would say the same," Ja'quar implies.

The hull then creaks and groans as it tilts again to slowly bring the ship on its port side. As it turns, Max takes the chance to use all of his strength to bring Ja'quar up to the rail, "REACH!" he groans loudly.

Ja'quar pulls down on Max to elevate himself and grab the railing but in turn, it causes Max to lose his grip. But Ja'quar catches him and provides support allowing Max to lift his legs up and wrap around the railing. Ja'quar does the same and the two remain glued to the railing until the hull finally made its roundabout and began to level off, "It's starting to level, we need to get to that terminal before we get another horror ride," Ja'quar states.

"Agreed," Max says.

The hull then began to level off just as Ja'quar had anticipated; the two prepare to make the run to the console just as the floor had leveled, "Get ready," Ja'quar says. The walkway finally evened out slowly and it was now good to walk, "We're good, let's go," Ja'quar states. The two unhook themselves from the railing and make the run for the console. They make it and Max quickly goes to work on the console.

"Cover the door while I find out what's wrong with her," Max tells him.

"Can do," Ja'quar says as he unclips his Vindicator. Max pulls up the damage report from the system and accesses it. What he sees next stops him from continuing on with his work. Ja'quar notices he stopped suddenly and he shakes Max's shoulder, "So what's the problem?" he asks.

The screen on the monitor shows an image of the interior of the Core chamber, flashing red lights were going off with warning signs flashing, "The Core's supports are misaligned. There's no way we can fix it," Max explains as he looks back at Ja'quar, "The ship's lost," Max tells him.

Ja'quar's brow plates furrow in confusion, "What the hell do you mean the supports are misaligned, don't you have an automatic reset?" Ja'quar asks.

"Don't you understand? We can't align them from here. The only way to align them is if…" Max trails off as an idea pops into his head. Coincidentally, Ja'quar gets the same idea and the two look toward the airlocked door leading into the chamber.

"If we get inside…" Ja'quar begins to say but is cut off by Max.

"No, we can't go in there. The radiation is too great we won't make it," Max starts to explain but Ja'quar is already trying to open it, "What the hell are you doing?" Max tries to pull off Ja'quar but he just shoves him away.

"If we don't get in there and align those supports we'll be dead. There's no escaping this," Ja'quar argues as he tries to hack into the doors terminal.

"It won't matter, we'll be irradiated before we even get to the first column," Max explains as he finally interrupts his hack. Ja'quar looks at Max with frustrated eyes as Max looks at him with one of sorrow, "We can't do it. Our armor won't keep us safe for long, they're not meant to block intense radiation from a Dreadnought-class Eezo Core," Max tries to talk sense into him.

Ja'quar didn't want to accept the fact that the ship was lost. Flashbacks came across his mind thinking back to when his old squad had abandoned him. They didn't care for him when he helped them… and neither did anyone care for him now… but he could at least save them, "How many supports are misaligned?" Ja'quar asks.

"Four, including the main support. Why- OOF," A large fist comes across Max's face, knocking him out cold. Ja'quar catches him in time and drags him over to the seat and secures the seatbelts tightly around him, "I guess I finally did knock him out…" Ja'quar smirks but it fades away as he refocuses his attention to the chamber door. His only act of selflessness was now… and it would most likely be his last. He takes his helmet and puts it on, based on what Max said he should be able to withstand the effects long enough to re-align the supports. Ja'quar walks over to the terminal and completes the hack, then a small cylindrical device pops out from the side with a handle; there were directions to turn it, possibly indicating to turn it that way to unlock the door. He grabs hold of the handle and turns the cylinder to the left then pushes it back in. The door pops and then he swings it open, closing it behind him and locking it. Just as he stepped in, he felt the effects coming on to him; dizziness was starting to settle in but he knew he had to keep going. He had to.

[

The hull rumbled as it began its descent toward the planet. The hull was beginning to catch fire as friction began to take effect. The squad in the bridge held on for what seemed to be their last ride together. Annali was trying to get into contact with Max but the power had brought down the comms and the auxiliary would only be able to protect the ship from getting burned to a crisp.

The crew from the Trianis and Victrition had finally dealt with the Cerberus cruisers as they had retreated once the Kilimanjaro had fallen. And now all they could do was watch as the Kilimanjaro fell towards Chasca. Caepraka held deep sorrow for everyone on board, she felt like she could've done more but the cruisers had limited her options to help. And now, a boat full of humans and few of her own crew were falling towards their imminent death. Caepraka hoped something would save them but what else could there be?

Everyone held on for dear life, some praying to God to save them from this, offering promises they would make in exchange for their lives. The Kilimanjaro then aligned its stern to face the planet head-on, the front was starting to burn red hot as the ship made its re-entry.

[

The ship rumbled again, shaking Ja'quar as he made his way through the small tunnel he was just barely able to fit in. The radiation was messing heavily with his head and he was finding it hard to focus. Regardless, he kept on. The heat from the tunnel walls could be felt through his armor and he could tell the material was reaching its melting point. Finally, he made it to the Central Core Chamber. His head peeked out from the opening and what he saw was daunting in front of him, "That's… a huge bitch," Ja'quar grunted. In the middle was a huge Eezo Core with two major supports holding it in place; one was hanging above it as the other one was down below along with the smaller supports. Crawling out of the tunnel he fell down the small slide that took him down to the supports that passed power from the Core to the rest of the ship.

He sees most of them were aligned but only four were leaning to the side. Wasting no time he made his move to re-align them. The first one wasn't as bright as the others as they had light coursing through their conduit, this one was directly disconnected and leaning to the side. Getting on one side he tried pushing it to set it up straight but it didn't budge, "Get up you heavy *grunt* piece of shit!" he rammed his body onto the support and, by miracle, it flashed a bright blue, nearly blinding him and giving another headache. He had to finish the rest so one after the other he pushed back into place but with each one, it started to get harder and harder to align them; the radiation was getting to him and he was feeling tired. Ja'quar's toes began to feel numb as did his hands and he knelt before he could push the last one into place. He was breathing heavily, the radiation was too much and he nearly blacked out. Being the stubborn man he always was, Ja'quar got back up and used whatever strength he had, "NNRRAAAHHH!" he screamed as the pain shot through him for forcing his muscles to work. The Support had been aligned and the power started flowing smoothly. Ja'quar collapsed on his back in exhaustion, he was expecting the loud 'hum' to confirm he had done it but it only reached high then went back to being a low hum, "What's left?" Ja'quar asks himself. He aligned everything, it should have been fixed. He looked up at the Core and checked for anything signs of unevenness. There was nothing.

[

"We got power fluctuating through the ship's systems!" Ma'rice tells Annali.

"Now?"

"Yeah, shields are coming back online but we need the thrusters up or else we're making a crash landing," Ma'rice explains as he holds onto the Holo-display.

They needed the thrusters up, they were lucky the shields came on but they were done either way if the thrusters didn't come back. Annali needed to find a way to try and get the ship to land on its belly but they needed a helmsman, "Who here can pilot a shuttle?" Annali asks. The squad looks at each other until one member raises his hand.

"I do, mam."

"Good, cause you're gonna fly a Dreadnought," she points toward the position.

"Uh… yes, mam," the Turian stumbles to get to the terminal but makes it anyway. Sitting down and putting on the seatbelt he accesses the Kilimajaro's entire mainframe, "Mam, I can't do anything if thrusters are offline. We don't have sufficient power to bring them back," the helmsman states.

"Crap," Annali mutters. Wherever Max was she hoped he was in Engineering.

[

Ja'quar couldn't find the reason why the Core wasn't working, he had done everything correctly. Until he notices the Main support under the Core tilted to the right. That's what was left, he forgot Max had mentioned the Main support being out of alignment. This was his last push. He had to make it count.

Painfully, Ja'quar got up and made for the ladder that was nearby which would lead up to the catwalk surrounding the Core. He started up the ladder slowly, not wanting to wear out his limbs so quickly but it was still difficult to keep going.

*RUMBLE*

Another rumble violently shook the chamber, causing Ja'quar's feet to slip and fall but just barely saved himself from falling all the way down as he grabbed hold of the bar, "Oh Spirits help me, please," he pleaded as he continued the painful climb. Finally, he reached the top, pulling himself up and standing to the massive core. The main pillar that connected with the Core was tilted toward him and it had bent the railing. He needed to push it back into place but the thing was big and heavy. However, it didn't seem like he needed to push it so far, it seemed as though it was only a slight nudge away from being able to re-align itself automatically. But with his current state, it was damn near impossible to push without his full strength. All he had were grenades that would only cause more harm than good and some grappling hooks. He took them from his belt and looked at hooks, _"Surely, I can use them for something,"_ he wondered. He looked around the chamber for some idea but with the constant headache, he could only think of something for a short period of time, "Wait… what if I…" just then an idea started forming, it was the only one he thought of that didn't need overthinking and it was the only he had. He took the two grapple launchers and shot them in separate directions in front of him. The hooks dug deep into the steel and remained there, Ja'quar pulled on them to test them. All that was in front of him was the Main support and it just begged for a push, just as he jumped in the air he set the guns to reel in the cable and with that it pulled his body in mid-air toward the support. Ja'quar quickly brought his legs in front of him and pulled himself forward as hard as he could. His feet connected with the metal and a whirr could be heard as he hit it. His legs were numb but he could still feel pain which meant they weren't out of use. He jumped up and reeled the cable in, propelling himself into the support harder. The pain shot through him hard, he wasn't giving up so easily and he propelled himself again.

*STOMP* *WHIRRrrrr….*

*STOMP* *WHIRRrrrr….*

"ARRGH!" he growled as kept at it.

*STOMP* *WHIRRrrrr….*

"RAAGGH!"

*STOMP* *WHIRRrrrr….*

The main support kept whirring louder and louder with each hit, he was getting closer. But he was beginning to lose his vision; it started getting darker and darker with each hit. His body was carrying the radiation throughout his system with each sudden movement. He could barely see what was in front of him now, " _Shit, I can't see… I can't… go on…"_ he was on the verge of blacking out. He knew he needed to give it one last good hit. One more, "One… more… NGH!" with one last push he jumped, reeled in the cable and misses the hit. His feet slide over the support and he falls down hard on the catwalk, "Aghh!" he groaned painfully as his body felt paralyzed all over. He wasted his only shot. He couldn't see or feel anything, everywhere he tried to look was met with black, he could hardly breathe, _"I… can't see… I can't… no…"_ he tried to stand up but with all the numbness he couldn't feel any part of his body. Blood seeped from his mouth as his throat became so irritated and dry, it was hard to breathe.

He couldn't move. It was his end.

The Kilimanjaro brined bright red in the sky as it screeched through the atmosphere; the smoke just trailing behind it and patches of fire were still present on the hull. The Crew held on hoping they would survive the crash, hoping they would see their loved ones again but in the back of their minds they knew they were going to die.

…

"*grunt* NRAAHH!" Ja'quar's eyes shot open as he rejected the thought of defeat. His fist slammed down in front of him and pushed him up to his knees. Pulling his helmet off he stood up straight. His joints were screaming for him to stop, to give up, but like the stubborn man he is, "I don't accept failure!" he wheezes. He couldn't see or feel anything, but at least he had his sense of direction and he knew the last support was in front of him, "AAAAAAAHHH!" he ran blindly in front of him, pushing himself with everything he had left and rams his body hard onto the Support, "RAAHH!"

*SLAM* *WHIRRrrr….*

"AAAH!"

*SLAM* *WHIRRrrr….*

"YAAAHH!"

*SLAM* *WHIRRrrr….*

With each hit, the support neared closer to alignment. Ja'quar did not stop, more blood seeped down his mouth as he kept it up.

*SLAM* *WHIRRrrr….*

This was it, he was on the edge of blacking out but just out of sheer willpower he propels himself one last time, "RRRAAAH!"

*SLAM* *WHIIRRRRR* *SHOOOM*

The force of the connection launched Ja'quar in the air off the catwalk and he was sent reeling down to the bottom of the chamber.

[

"MAM, FULL POWER RESTORED!"

"FULL THRUSTERS, NOW!"

Immediately, the thrusters beneath the Kilimanjaro roared to life, one after the other, the rest flared to life. The Main Engines spewed massive jets of smoke before Eezo blasted out in Furiousness. The exterior lights came back as well as the Alliance symbol flickered to its euphoric blue.

"THRUSTERS AT MAX! STAND BY! STAND BY!"

The Kilimanjaro continued to fall helplessly as the thrusters struggled to reach their maximum power.

[

"Mam, we have an energy reading coming from the Kilimanjaro!" one of the crewmen tells Caepraka.

"What, their power is restored?" she asks, nearly in disbelief.

"Yes, mam; you can see them right now!" the crewman points toward the window. Caepraka quickly walks to the window and uses her visor to hone in on the Kilimanjaro. She could clearly see the Engines and thrusters burning brightly and trying to slow the ship's descent.

"I'll be damned… Get us down there now, they might have a chance at saving themselves but they need our help! Notify the Victrition!" Caepraka shouts.

"Yes, Captain," the helmsman nods and plots a course.

The crew stare in awe as the massive Dreadnought attempts to save itself from falling any farther. They were approaching the Altostratus clouds, they were only seconds from hitting the surface.

[

"WHAT'S OUR ALTITUDE?!"

"35,000 FT. AND CLOSING!"

"ARE THE THRUSTERS MAXED!"

"THRUSTERS PEAKING IN 3…2…1…."

The Kilimanjaro disappears through the clouds. Loud creaks could be heard as a loud metal roar followed. The sound of concentrated fire nears closer and closer.

…

*FFFSSHHHH*

The Kilimanjaro emerges from the clouds with the underbelly thrusters at their max keeping the ship afloat. Only a few scratches. Nothing so bad, eh?

The crew of both the Trianis and Victrition then cheer in relief as the Kilimanjaro rises unscathed. Caepraka lets out a breath of great relief, thankful the Kilimanjaro and her crew were saved. This was too close, they nearly lost their partner and now they needed help, "Alright, everyone, get ready to provide relief to the crew. They are going to need it," Caepraka orders.

"Yes, Captain!" the crew reply in unison, quickly getting to work as the Trianis and Victrition descended down to the Kilimanjaro.

[

"Mam, shields restored! Power online! Communication channels are open!"

Annali emerged from behind the Holo-display and brought herself up, her breathing was heavy and she hadn't quite calmed down fully, "Are the stabilizers up?" she asks.

"Yes, we shouldn't be making any twists and turns from now on. Altitude is stabilizing," the helmsman states.

"Multiple reports coming in from all over the Kilimanjaro; they have successfully captured the remaining Cerberus insurgents. The halls are safe to walk!"

"Mam, this is a miracle," one of the squad members states.

Annali stands up fully as she recovers, "One would say the same. Can someone get me comes with Sgt. Rios?" Annali asks.

" _ **Officer Veren, are you okay?"**_ coincidentally his voice pops up from comms.

"Yes, I'm fine. How's the rest of the crew?" she asks.

" _ **Celebrating like there's no tomorrow, you saved us, mam,"**_ he tells her happily.

Annali was all but confused, she had done nothing except give out orders to the helmsman. It couldn't have been just sheer luck the power just decided to come back. It must have been… "Sgt. Rios, I need you to gather a team and meet me down at Engineering and send the Bridge crew back up here to take over. We barely know how to activate the thrusters," Annali tells him.

" _ **Copy that! Moving to Engineering! Sgt. Rios out!"**_

Annali looked to her squad, "Come on, I have a feeling we're not done yet," she tells them. They follow suit with her as they make their way to the Engine room.

A few minutes later both teams arrive at the hall leading into the Engine room only to come across a body lying sprawled out on the floor, "Is he with you?" Annali asks.

Sgt. Rios shakes his head and looks at the man with disgust, "He's not with us… he's the traitor we've been looking for; Cromwell," he tells her.

Cromwell groans and shuffles on the floor, he was probably knocked out earlier, "Then that means they've been here. They must still be in the Engine room," Annali suggests.

"I had an earlier team notify me they were distracting Cerberus so that the Captain and the 2nd Lt. could get here. I got a feeling…" Sgt. Rios opens the door and Annali follows in, "Oh and bring that son of a bitch in here too," Sgt. Rios orders behind, implying to Cromwell.

As they walk in, Annali and Rios spot Colt and Smith both secured to their seats. Sgt. Rios didn't waste any time checking on him, "Captain, are you okay? Any injuries?" Rios asks.

"I'm fine Sergeant, just a shot arm. Check Smith first, she got knocked out by Cromwell. Where is he actually?" Colt asks.

"He's here, unconscious as it seems," Sgt. Rios sidesteps and reveals the unconscious Cromwell rested against the wall.

"Keep an eye on him. Tereshkova and another Turian went into the Engine room, check to see if they're okay," Colt orders as he allows Colt to help him up.

"They're in there?" Annali asks.

"I believe so, he fixed the Core, though, I don't know how he did it," Colt says.

Annali doesn't waste any time as she walks past the broken doors and into the massive room holding the Core Chamber. Walking up to the entrance she doesn't see anybody nearby, "Ugh…" a groan could be heard to her right and she finds another room with Tereshkova safely secured to a seat.

"Max!" Annali cries out. She was already assessing him of any sort of damage but she only notices a purple bruise on the left side of his head, "Max, are you okay?" she asks trying to wake him up.

"The hell happened?" Max asks, confused as to the events that just occurred.

"Max, you did it, you saved everyone on the ship," Annali tells him.

"What?" Max asks now clearly confused.

"What do you mean 'what', you fixed the Core, didn't you?" she asks again.

Max looks up at her and his eyes are wide open in shock, "The Core… THE CORE, WHERE'S JA'QUAR!" Max shouts as he unfastens the seatbelts and moves to the Chamber but he falls in dizziness.

"What about Ja'quar?" Annali asks now more confused.

"He… went inside..." Max looks to her momentarily then towards the Core Chamber entrance, "He went inside, the bastard," Max attempts to get up but stumbles. Annali holds Max's arm to support.

"Wait, he went into the…" Annali realizes what Max is saying and she quickly hurries to get them both to the door. But when they reach it, they see a gruesome sight.

Ja'quar had managed to crawl through the vents and he was resting on the wall just next to the door that would lead him out to safety. His mouth and neck were soaked in his blood as well as his skin plates had turned a lighter shade of its natural darkness. It appeared as though the suit around his neck had stuck to him as it had melted and cooled once again. Ja'quar's labored breathing could be heard through the glass as he struggled to catch his breath. Annali wasn't sure how to feel for him; all these years she knew him as a perverted jerk who wouldn't stop chasing her and other women but now she was staring at the same person who had just saved all of their lives. Ja'quar's eyes finally opened to see them and he gave a weak smile, "Would… you look at that… it worked… heh," Ja'quar wheezed painfully.

"You did… of all the people to save us," Max says with a shake of the head.

Ja'quar chuckled at his words, "Right?" he went along. His eyes trailed up to a console and reached for it, pulling down a lever. The door leading into the chamber closed and sealed with an airtight hiss. Signaling the radiation was trapped within. His arm fell lifeless as he began breathing hard, "I have to tell you… this… wasn't how I wanted to go- *cough* out… but my life doesn't make a difference outside… Ngh- of my job," a tear fell from Ja'quars eye as his fell to the door, his eyes looking up to both of them, "I… don't even know… how to apologize for all the wrong things I've done… in my life. I just… wish *cough* *cough*" Ja'quar began coughing uncontrollably as his throat became bloodied, blood seeping into his lungs.

"Stop, you're killing yourself," Max knelt down to the door. Annali watched him as he showed kindness to the person who had tried to kill him a month ago. Annali knew Max's heart was kind, but to feel pity for another who had done wrong to you was on another level she had not seen in another man. Something she didn't have and she knew it too well. All she could do was watch as Max tried to comfort his former enemy.

Ja'quar managed to calm down but his breathing had deteriorated to a shallow wheeze, "Why… are you still watching?... is it out of pleasure… to see the man who tried to kill you die?" Ja'quar asks.

Max only shrugs and he rests and arm against the door, "Not all… it's just… no one should have to die alone," Max tells him.

Ja'quar's brows unfurrow, his eyes watering again as tears flowed down. He couldn't even speak after Max's words, he hadn't planned to die alone and he was already hoping it would end faster. But the kindness Max showed brought a warmth to his heart, alleviating his pain for a few seconds. Which was all that he needed to feel.

"What you did today, I think it's accounted for all the dick things you've done in the past," Max jokes.

Ja'quar gives a weak chuckle, shaking his head, "I would hope so Tereshkova… hehe…" Ja'quar's eyes then began to droop, his breathing became shallower and shallower. Both Annali and Max had noticed this, Max wanted to help him but to do so would flood the entire room with lethal radiation. Ja'quar took one last glance at Max and Annali, a small smile forming on his face, "I would hope…. Mmmm…" his eyes became lazy as well as his eyelids. Soon his head had laid rest next to the wall as his limbs had finally relaxed.

Max gave a heavy sigh as he stood up, "He's gone…" Max says.

Annali had no clue as to what she should say, he had just died trying to save them and all she could feel was sorrow. For the man who had been a complete jerk to everyone but his followers, she felt sorrow. His story wasn't an excuse, it was just unfortunate.

Sgt. Rios came up behind them and nudged Max's shoulder, "What's going on here?" he asks. Max and Annali look at him then at the door. Rios was confused as to why they were looking at the door but one look answered his question as he saw the Turian lying peacefully on the other side, "Did he…" he began.

"Yes… he did," Max answers him, already expecting his question.

Sgt. Rios nodded in understanding and gave a salute to the fallen soldier. A moment of silence followed and Rios turns to Max, "Sir, the Captain would like to speak to you," he tells him.

"About what?" Max asks.

"It's a surprise," Rios gives him a pat on the shoulder as he walks back. Max and Annali look at each other in curiosity and follow Rios to the room where he seated Colt and Smith to the seats.

Walking in, they see Colt and Smith talking to one another as well as other Human soldiers conversing but the talks stop as Max enters, "Max, please step forward," Colt extends an arm towards him, signaling him to approach the circle. Smith was now conscious and she had a proud smile on her face.

Max looks to Annali but she shrugs and motions for him to go, "What's this about?" Max asks as he steps forward.

"Son, you'll see in a few seconds," he faces Max directly and then turns to Smith, "Lieutenant, take a vid of this for the record and witness," he tells her.

"Yes, Captain," she pulls up her Omni-tool and begins recording, "Go ahead," she tells him.

Colt then turns to face Max with a proud smile, "Tereshkova, please stand at attention for your promotion!" Colt states. The last word shocks both Max and Annali. Max was getting promoted not just of rank but his title.

Max quickly stands at attention and salutes, as does Colt. The two lower their arms as Colt begins, "Max Tereshkova, Serial Number: 67349278 T24 38 O, N6 trainee…" Colt extends a hand for Max. Max looks down at it and proceeds to shake it, his smile already clear to everyone, "A personal friend and excellent soldier…"

From behind them, Cromwell slowly emerges from his unconscious state. His head rises and he sees Colt and Max shaking hands; everything went dark so suddenly but he woke just in time to hear 'N6 trainee'. Max was getting promoted to N7. The title he had worked for so long only to be denied the rank by Colt himself. He couldn't let this happen, especially since he was denied his title. He looks up the soldier next to him and sees the Predator pistol. He looks back towards Colt and the hate arises as he hears him say, "By the power vested in me, I hereby promote you to the rank and earned the title of-"

*BANG*

Everything suddenly slipped into slow-motion for Max; it seemed as though everything was caught in some sort time loop. Here he was, about to earn his title, the mark he had worked so hard to achieve, his life goal was about to become a reality until Colt suddenly stopped. His eyes had shot wide open and his hand felt loose. Then the sound came… the shot… it rang painfully in his ears. Max looked down as Colt had clutched his chest, a dark spot forming in his chest and then spreading out as if someone had spilled coffee on him. He quickly caught Colt as he fell towards him, looking down he could see the ripped hole in his back. Max screamed for help but what could anyone do to save someone from a bullet to the back.

Annali watched as Colt fell into Max's arms, the shot scaring her and bringing back memories of the past; flashbacks of her past missions, her comrades dying from snipers while she remained behind cover to stay alive. Her friend had gotten shot in the neck and she desperately tried to worsen the wound, but she was already gone. It flashed so quickly by that time she already had eyes on the shooter… the human they first found unconscious. The traitor.

The soldiers had already restrained him and beaten him unconscious, Smith was already on the comms getting the Medics ready for a casualty. Casualty. The word rang in her head, all the while Max was trying to get Colt to respond. He was panicking. She had to do something, fast.

"Tereshkova, carry him to Med-bay, I'll help you!" Annali quickly slid down to grab Colt's arm, "Come on!" she shouted.

Max didn't argue, they couldn't wait for the Medics to arrive, it would take too long, They needed to make the run for the Med-bay, "I'll take his left arm! Get the doctors ready for Emergency Surgery, subject is the Captain!" Max shouts at Smith.

"Already done, we'll open the doors so you can glide right through and effectively. MOVE SOLDIERS!" Smith hollered at the top of her lungs, "And put that Traitor under arrest until I find a way to deal with him!" she orders.

Max and Annali carry Colt through the hallways as fast as they could go, the soldiers were opening doors left and right, guiding them to the Med-bay. Annali could sense the panic in Max, not because he was about to get promoted but perhaps Colt meant something to him. Colt's breathing was nearly non-existent and she knew he wasn't going to last much longer. Thankfully, they arrived at the Med-Bay, there were already doctors waiting for them at the entrance with a bed for Colt.

"Quickly, get him on the bed. We don't have much time," A dark-skinned doctor tells them. Max takes Colt and picks him up, carefully placing him on the bed pushing it to the operating room. Annali joins him as she helps push the bed to wherever it needed to go. As she did this, she saw Max reassuring Colt everything was going to be okay. Everything happened so quickly. Nothing could have prepared her for that nor could she have seen it coming. Before they could move any further into the Med-Bay they were stopped by two nurses.

"I'm sorry, this is medical staff only. You will have to wait outside while we work on the Captain," The nurses then walk through the double doors to join the rest leaving Max and Annali alone in the hallway.

Annali looks up to Max whom still hasn't taken his eyes off the door. Colt definitely meant something to him but she had no intention to find out. At least not now. The two sat opposite from each other, both not even glancing an eye. There was still pain in Annali for Max's dishonesty, but it didn't mean she didn't feel sorry towards him.

A few hours had passed since they had arrived, Smith came by and sat down next to Max, "How's the fleet?" Max asks.

"The Kilimanjaro sustained some minor hull breaches but other than that she's fine. The Trianis and Victrition are busy repairing their ship and we've parked just above Chasca's northern polar ice cap," Smith informs him. Max only gives a grunt, his eyes fixed toward the floor. Smith looks up to Annali, "Any more orders from your Captain?" she asks.

Annali shifts uncomfortably before saying, "My orders were to guarantee the Captain's safety at any cost. And now I fear I've failed it…" Annali looks away towards the doors.

"No one could have seen it coming. Sgt. Rios is cursing himself for not cuffing Cromwell in the first place but no one is blaming him," Smith states.

Max turns to Smith and eyes her carefully, "How's your head?" he asks.

"I've had worse situations but I can still feel where that traitor got me. I'm a damn idiot for just leaving my rifle next to him, I should've seen it coming. Hell, I should have shot his ass the moment I saw him," Smith states, clearly agitated.

"We all make mistakes, what matters is that we own up to them and forgive ourselves," Max tells her.

"Right," Annali mutters as she looks directly at Max. Max catches her eye but she turns at the last second to avoid him.

Max very well understood what she had meant by that and he took it to heart; he remembered back on the bridge when he yelled at her. It was something neither of them could believe happened. Max wanted to say sorry, but how could she listen to him after he had lied and just yelled at her out of impatience. Just then a doctor walks out and looks at all three of them as they stand up to hear what he has to say, "Are you Tereshkova?" he asks.

"I am," Mad confirms.

The doctor gave a sad shake of his head, "I'm sorry but we did all that we could for him. He won't last much longer on life-support. It is best no one enters as he in critical condition," the doctor explains.

"He's still alive?" Max asks.

"For the moment, yes, but not for long," he explains. But before he could explain any further Max rushes past him down the hallway, "Sir, you can't just-"

"Max!" Annali rushes after him as does Smith as they chase him down the hall.

A few soldiers on the other side spot Max as he rushes past them and they begin to take chase, "Sir, this is not for unauthorized personnel!" one of them shouts as they join Annali and Smith in the chase.

Max was in full sprint, darting right down another hall and rushing past people. Colt was still alive and didn't have much time left, he needed to talk to Colt before it was too late. His heart was beating faster and faster as anticipation grew, he knew where Colt would be. Meanwhile, Annali and Smith lagged behind, trying their best to keep up, there was so many medical staff in the way and Max was slipping by them with ease. Nothing and no one was stopping him.

Just then, a group of soldiers pops out from around the corner, "Halt!" one of them shouts.

Max stops to a halt, "I need to get to the Captain, he's not going to last long," Max explains.

"I'm sorry sir but he is in critical condition and we are on Condition 3, so I must ask you to turn around before we use deadly force," the soldier warns as the small blockade ready their rifles.

Max clenches his fist in frustration as he takes a step forward, "Get out of my way or I make you," he threatens. The soldiers back up as they raise their rifles at him.

"Sir, stand down now!" the soldier warns again.

At that moment, Annali, Smith, and the other group of soldiers arrive just behind Max, "Max, listen, you have to stand down. Colt isn't ready to make any form of communication," Smith explains.

"He won't be able to at all if we just let him die and he doesn't have much time left," Max then turns back to the group of soldiers in front of him, "SO GET OUT OF MY WAY!" Max pushes the leader back.

"Stand down!" the soldier hits Max across the face with his rifle, causing him to stumble back. Max remains still and motionless as the soldiers back up, raising their rifles up.

Max turns to look at the soldier that just took a swing at him, his eyes no longer friendly but now filled with rage. Before the leader could issue another command, Max's fist crashes into the soldier's helmet, breaking the glass visor and knocking him into the soldier behind him. The rest then try to subdue Max but Max was prepared as he quickly took a step back throws a powerful jab toward the left man and then deals with the right with the same arm by elbowing him on the side of the head. The remaining three were easily dealt with as Max slapped the gun away from the first man then proceeded to grab his hand and then twist around to put him in a shoulder lock followed by then pushing his foot down on his back and slamming his face into the floor. Before the second soldier could react, Max gave a powerful left hook then a right and finally landing a massive kick, as if he was breaking open a door, flinging him towards the remaining soldier and knocking him down. Once they were dealt with, Max then made a run for Colt once again.

Annali and Smith were stunned at his ability to deal with a group of armed people so easily and efficiently, Annali couldn't comment anything for his skills; Max was indeed a highly trained combatant. She couldn't think further on the subject as they had to keep up with him, "Smith, do you know where Tereshkova is headed?" Annali asks.

"Yes, Room 456 on B-wing, that's the emergency room. I know a shortcut and we can cut him off there if we haul ass," Smith explains.

"Guide us," the Annali and the group of soldiers then follow Smith as she guides them to the shortcut.

Max was now looking left and right looking for the Emergency room, he couldn't hear Smith and the others running after him so he assumes he lost them. He was so close, just another right turn and, "There it is," just as he turns the corner he sees a pair of double doors and a sign with the words capitalized and marked in red: "EMERGENCY ROOM: 456" As Max starts for it, he sees Annali, Smith and the group of soldiers run out from the opposite side of the hall.

"MAX, STOP WHERE YOU ARE!" Smith shouts.

Max's eyes widen, he looks at the doors that are just feet from him, and he makes a run for it. The group makes their run to intercept him; Smith activates her Neural shock ability and takes a shot at Max. Max jumps to the left to avoid it and he pulls out his pistol, taking aim at the light they were about to pass above them and fires.

*BLAM*

The glass shards break and rain over the group, electric sparks falling down and blinding them as they come to a stop. Max takes the chance and bursts through the doors, quickly turning around and grabbing a mop stick he closes the doors shut and slides the stick through the handles, barricading himself in.

"Gah, damn it," Smith mutters. The group rush to the door but are stopped as the mop holds them together, "Did he seriously lock himself in?" Smith asks.

"Can't believe you use conventional doors to get into a room," Annali states.

"Well, why don't you help us bust through instead? Everyone on three; one…two… three," Annali joins them as they ram the door.

Max, on the other hand, walks through the room, searching for Colt. He could hear voices nearby and he follows the sound, leading him into the operation room. There were several nurses and a doctor surrounding a bed. And on that bed was Colt, "Colt…" Max called for him.

The nurses then turned startled toward his presence, one of them approaches Max and says, "Sir, you are not allowed to be in here without the authorized equipment," the nurse tells him.

"I know but I have to talk to him, please, I know he's in critical condition but-"

"Max?" Colt's voice echoes through the room. Max turns to look at Colt and sees him looking at him, "You're always persistent when you put your mind to something," Colt gives a weak smile.

Max walks up to the bed as the nurses allow him closer, he kneels to get on his level, "Colt… I…"

"There's nothing to be sorry about Tereshkova… don't blame yourself for something you didn't do right," Colt assures him through a raspy voice.

Max nods then begins to chuckle, "You look like crap, Captain," Max jokes.

"Indeed I do, Heh heh *cough* agh…" Colt strains to laugh along.

"Glad to see your sense of humor is still intact," Max tells him.

"The one thing I'm glad I still have… yes…" Colt nods as he gives a painfully groan, "Agh… Max…" he begins to say.

"Tell me…"

"Remember when I first came across you, you were but a Private in the Alliance Army…"

"Yeah, I was just a scrawny kid trying to find his place in the galaxy…" Max answers.

"No, you had already found it… you made a family of friends, you loved your work. Even though you were a part of a platoon, you were seen as the leader of the group by your peers. I knew they saw- NGH!" Colt then grunted painfully as he tried to speak.

"Colt you alright?" Max asks, frightened.

Colt chuckles and looks at Max, "That is what they saw in you; they saw your compassion towards others and how you cared for them. That is what I saw when you led your squad behind the enemy and saved your platoon's lives. Not a single life lost within your family. It is the reason why I first considered you to become an N7 trainee," Colt explains.

"I'm flattered but it doesn't mean I could make a difference in everyone's lives by just remaining in the shadows like I'm someone I'm not," Max tells him as he looks away with guilt. Remembering Annali's face of 'why-didn't-you-tell-me?'.

Max shakes his head, "Wrong, being an N7 means you are- Agh- willing to go to great lengths to help others for their betterment rather than yours. The Alliance may tell what to do but how you do it is entirely up to you. You can always make a difference whether you do it directly or indirectly. You serve Humanity to protect us… and now…" Colt grunts painfully again, the heartbeat monitor begins to beat slowly.

"Heart rate is dropping, his vitals are deteriorating, we have to place him on life-support again," the doctor states as he sets to work.

"Now… you serve to protect everyone… Asari, Salarian… Krogan…" Colt's breathing becomes shallow, "Including Turians… I will not take life-support" he smiles weakly.

"Captain… you can't…" Max begins to say but Colt extends his left hand to him. Max holds his hand, his eyes beginning to tear up.

*DOOM*

The ramming of the doors could be heard as they try to break in.

"I was brought into this room… and I won't be walking out of it," Colt struggles to breathe now as he tries to speak.

*DOOM*

"Captain, you hav-"

"No… I am not the Captain anymore…" Colt unfurls his hand as a small object falls on Max's hand. Max looks down at his hands and his eyes widen with astonishment. He looks back up to Colt for an answer but is met with hopeful blue eyes by the now Former-Captain, "You are…" Max's stomach drops at the words that exit from his mouth.

"No… you can't…" Max begins to say but chokes on his words.

"Keep her safe for me… will ya?" Colt asks.

Max's hands tremble as he realizes where this was headed all along. He looks up to Colt with teary eyes and nods, "Sir… yes, sir…" Max tells him. Colt smiles as a small tear escapes his eyes, his hand around Max's slowly loosened until finally limp.

A long beep follows signaling there was no heart rate, "The Captain…" the doctor begins but trails off.

Just then, the doors break open as the group manages to burst through. Quickly Annali and Smith locate Max and Colt as the soldiers circle the bed and point their rifles, "Max, stand… down…" Smith begins to say but one look at Max told her something was wrong.

Max remained kneeling next to Colt, unmoving and unfazed by her words. The doctor walks around the bed towards Smith with eyes that could only show sorrow, "Lieutenant… the Captain has passed… I'm sorry," the doctor says.

Annali feels an emptiness in her stomach and it felt as though someone had stolen it ages ago; the Captain was gone. The soldiers surrounding Max then lowered their rifles, they were clueless as to what to do. Smith was lost for words, she wanted to deny this was the case but Colt's lifeless body had already proven everything. For a while, no one said anything, no one made a move, no one dared to make a sound. Max only remained kneeling, looking at the hand that held Colt's gift for him.

Annali knew Colt meant something to him, this only lead her to believe Colt was an especially close friend of Max. Max went through all this trouble just to see him, only to watch him perish in his hands. Annali was the first to make a move as she stepped toward Max, resting a hand on his shoulder, "M-Max… are you…" she begins to say but is cut off as Max stands up quickly, his hand still clutched tightly.

Max doesn't look at her instead looks down at his hand and turns to Smith, "He gave me this before he died…" Max unfurls his hand to reveal a golden pin shaped into an eagle with the Alliance symbol behind it and the three stars engraved into the A.

Smith's eyes widen in astonishment and immediately stands at attention, "ATTEN-SHUN! ADMIRAL ON DECK!" she hollers. The soldiers and nurses all look at Max and immediately stand attention, their hands shooting up to their heads in a salute.

Annali looked around her as they acknowledged Max's new rank… as Admiral.

"Isn't Max considered young to be an Admiral?" Annali asks.

"Typically, it is given to anyone above 35 but should any Admiral pass their rank to someone else then they can do so by giving them the Admiral's pin signifying the Admiral's trust has gone into the man he passed it to. Considering I am an N6, I am fully capable of receiving the Admirals pin."

Then a thought pops into her head, "Wait, how was Colt not acknowledged as an Admiral in the first place?" she asks turning to Max.

"The Alliance thought that if there wasn't a difference in power by rank then perhaps the mission could be completed more effectively. Admiral Colt volunteered to help lead the mission. We await your orders Admiral," Smith answers, still remaining at attention.

Max looks up from his hand as he looks at everyone who was at attention to him. He was Admiral now… he now has a responsibility to his crew. To the fleet, "At ease," Max says. He breathes deeply as his brows furrow into an angry glare, "Where's Cromwell?" he asks in a stone cold tone, surprising Annali, she had never seen this side of him.

"Locked up in a cell in the Armory, sir!" Smith states.

"Any prisoners?" he asks.

"Joining him!"

Max looks down at the pin and places it in his belts pouch, "Why are they on this ship?" he asks.

"Sgt. Rudy is questioning them but so far he hasn't come up with anything," Smith informs him.

"I think you should do it, put your sweet talking skills to use and get me something on their Home Base. And Doctor…" Max turns to the doctor behind him.

"Yes, Admiral?"

Max looks down at Colt, "You know what to do with him."

"Yes, I'll get a body bag," the doctor says.

"Aye, sir!" Smith salutes then leaves.

Max turns to the rest of the soldiers, "Guys, sorry I made you run," he apologizes.

"No problem, sir. Could always use a good jog," one of them jokes.

"Heh, you may return to your posts and tell the soldiers I beat I'm deeply sorry, I'll try and find a way to make it up to them," Max tells them.

"Yes, sir," they say in unison.

"Nurse, there's a… Turian soldier who had sacrificed his life to save the ship in the Core chamber. I want you to notify an Engineering team to bring his body out and put him in a body bag," he orders.

"Yes, sir!" the nurse salutes.

Once everyone had left, Max and Annali left the room as well, both heading down to Hangar bay and neither saying a word. Max knew he had to explain everything to Caepraka and the Victrition, he had to now since he was now the Admiral of the fleet. The power had shifted towards him and he needed to defend the Alliance's reason to hide his and Colt's identity. And Annali was definitely going to make sure he did. Neither of them said a word as they arrived at the Hangar where there was still extensive damage done due to the fighting. Multiple body bags were lined across the floor holding the men and women who died when the fighting started or died trying to defend the Kilimanjaro. Regardless, Max had a duty to uphold now and it was to make sure their deaths hadn't gone in vain.

As they approached their designated shuttle, Ma'rice emerges from somewhere they had no idea where, "Guys, did you hear the news?" he asks, his tone hinting something was wrong.

"What is it, Ma'rice?" Annali asks.

"The Captains; they're considering scuttling the mission," Ma'rice tells them.

Max and Annali look at one another then back at Ma'rice, "What are you talking about?" Annali asks.

"What do you think? They've gotten tired of just searching for a base that doesn't exist and now they want to talk to Colt about how to deal with this as soon as possible," Ma'rice explains further.

Max's mouth puffs in awkwardness as he looks in a different direction, not everyone knew he was the new Commanding Officer, not even the other Captains. Annali thought it as well, they would have to announce Colt's death soon but it had to be later. Max had to save the mission, "Tereshkova, you're going to have to work some magic with them if you want to keep this mission going," Annali tells him. Max scratches his head in nervousness, this was exactly what he didn't want to happen; him taking command wasn't something he was always comfortable with but he always managed to come out on top. But this was way different, he had to manage an entire fleet and the integrity of the mission was up to him to hold up.

Slowly, Max nods in agreement, "Yeah, definitely," he says.

"Wait, why him?" Ma'rice asks.

"Because… he's the new Admiral," Annali says.

Ma'rice's face turns into one of shock but then he starts chuckling, "Yeah-yeah, of course, a combat engineer is going to convince two hardass Captain's to keep the mission going, Hahaha…" but one look between Max and Annali told him they weren't kidding, "Wait, where's Colt?" he asks.

Max breathes a heavy sigh, "Colt is… no longer with us. I'm now the Commanding Officer of this mission," Max tells him.

Ma'rice's mouth then gapes wide open in pure astonishment, it was the best face Max had seen so far on a Turian, "You're serious? Admiral? That's…" Ma'rice searches for the perfect word but could only come up with, "-a big promotion. Holy hell!" he says.

"Indeed," Max agrees.

Annali is already impatient and she shoves Max towards the shuttle, "We're wasting time, Ma'rice make sure our men are ready to head back to the Trianis and the others who aren't with us go back to the Victrition," Annali orders.

"Uh, Yes, mam!" Ma'rice says as he goes back to giving orders.

Once they were in, Annali walks into the cockpit of the shuttle, "Pilot, take us to the Trianis," she tells him.

"Oh, it's you?! How coincidental," the pilot's voice rings familiarity again within Annali.

"You, again?" Annali asks, recognizing the pilot.

"I guess it was meant to be, mam," the pilot chuckles.

"I guess it was. Take us to the Trianis," she orders as she heads back.

"Yes, mam," the pilot starts the engines. The shuttle begins flying over the landing pad and moves over to the edge, where the hangar bay opened down toward the planet, "Flight control, this is shuttle 37. Requesting to disengage from the Kilimanjaro, over?" the pilot speaks over the comms.

" _ **This is flight control, you may proceed! Safe flights!"**_ the radioman states.

"Disengaging," the pilot then allows the shuttle to drop down through the bay then activates the thrusters propelling the shuttle towards the Trianis.

Annali sits down opposite of Max, her arms crossed and wordlessly telling Max to say something, but he doesn't see her as he stares down at the golden pin his hand, "Ahem," Annali clears her throat to catch his attention. Max blinks out of thought then looks up at her, her face already telling him what she wants from him. And Max understands, "I know what you want… You want to know who I really am," he takes a guess.

At this point, Annali starts throwing fire, "You think? You could have told me when we were first getting to know each other. I would have understood your reasons but you kept up the act. I told you my deepest thoughts while you told me, Spirits knows, how many lies about yourself. I took them to heart, believing you had gone through all those hard times, I believed that's what made you, you. I don't even know if I can even trust you anymore," Annali pours everything, her hands beginning to tremble with rage once again. She awaited Max's response, eager to hear him defend himself.

Max took a deep breath, closing his eyes to relax, then he starts nodding. This only confused Annali, he was nodding and it wasn't answering anything. Max then clenches the pin in his hand tightly before placing it in his pouch, "You're right… because I've been sworn to secrecy so many times I've begun to start getting used to keeping secrets. Even if I wanted to tell you it could hurt you in more ways than one," Max explains.

"Give me one," Annali tells him.

"I broke your heart," Max replies. Annali hadn't expected that answer but it was relatively closer to what he had done.

"Yes, you did… I loved you in more ways than one, I wanted to live with you for as long as I could," Annali begins to soften, "I wanted, after this mission, to live somewhere peaceful. I hoped you would bring me a peace I hadn't had since before my mother died. I thought I saw an honest man who deeply cared for the people he loved the most. I wanted so many things but… I guess I was asking too much… and I expected more," she looked away, a small tear had dropped and fell from her cheek, falling and staining her armor.

Max looked up in shock at her words. He knew where she was going with this, "Annali, I wanted the same with you. But my past had led me to a new life and it mixed with yours and from that, it turned into something wonderful… us," Max began. Annali still hadn't turned to look at him, her watery blue eyes not moving in the slightest. He kept on, "When you had your nightmares, you reminded me of my days as a teenager whenever I went out with my friends on a sleepover. Remember the girl I told you about who couldn't sleep because she was homesick?" he asks.

Annali remembered his story; he and his friends arranged a sleepover in a forest but one of them wasn't very fond of the idea of leaving their home and stranding themselves somewhere in a forest but in reality, they were only in Max's backyard which was the forest. Slowly, Annali came to realize this story wasn't a lie, "This one was true?" she asked.

"Yes, it was. She had gotten so homesick I started to feel she would have a panic attack. So I decided to-"

"Sing her a lullaby," Annali finished. Max smiled as his cheeks flushed red in embarrassment.

From what Annali understood, it was very uncommon for a boy to sing to the girl but he had done it to her and she thanked him for it. Max had sung a lullaby for her when she had her nightmares and it helped her so much she wanted to hear it again. And every time he sang it, his cheeks were red with embarrassment. A small smile began to grow from the memories, "I never understood why you were so embarrassed, it seemed so romantic to sing to a woman," Annali shrugged.

"I had a tendency to sing when I could but I was always embarrassed to show it to an audience. I would have rather just spoken Russian than sing to a group of people," Max tells her.

"And yet you sang while everyone was in the tent," Annali says.

"Well, that's because they were asleep, luckily for me. In the end, she thanked me for helping her get through her first sleepover. She even gave me a kiss," Max added in.

From that point, Annali's smile had faded, "Do you still know her?" she asks, partly jealous.

"I do, yes. Her name is Smith, Sarah Smith; she's the 2nd Lieutenant of the Kilimanjaro. I never told you that," Max tells her that.

At that point, Annali's eyes were wide with astonishment, "Wait, she's…?"

"Yes, she's a very old friend of mine. And so was Cromwell," A slight bitterness catches on as Annali says his name.

"But does she… you know…" Annali tries to hint at what she's trying to get to.

"Nonono, she and I were really good friends but we weren't very close enough to move up to that level. We usually joke what would have happened if we actually got together and we both agreed it wouldn't end well. Most likely, we would have broken up and never got back to try and at least be friends…" Max explains.

"The irony, right?" Annali says.

Max looks up at her, she was already firing shots at him, "Annali… I never meant to keep secrets from you, but being an N7 means to dedicate one's life in order to save others. Even if it costs them their lives. I would give my life to protect the innocent," Max tells her. Annali looks down towards her feet as he continues, "I would give my life to protect you, Annali. But it seems at this pace I'll only hurt you more," Annali's eyes look back up at him, her eyes filled with curiosity.

"What are you saying?" she asks.

"Annali… I've hurt you in so many ways I can't imagine the damage I've done to you. So, once this mission is over, if you want, I can disappear from your life. You won't have to deal with me any longer," his offer felt like getting hit in the back with a sack of bricks. Even after everything she had said to him, he was still looking after her, and this was his last act of kindness to her.

"M-Max…"

"It'll be like I was never here… Maximillian Tereshkova had never participated In the fight against Cerberus on Chasca. I was never present in the campaign, I was merely working as a computer analyst on the Citadel, directing traffic control, etc. I'll fade into the crowd-"

"N-no…" Annali squeaks.

"What do you mean 'no'?" he asks.

"Max… you hurt my heart… you broke my trust… you kept secrets, but you did it all to…"

"-Protect you from what could have happened. Because I couldn't bear to see what would happen had the information leaked to Cromwell and he initiated the mutiny days before we had any clue as to Cerberus plans. He could have taken the Kilimanjaro and destroyed the Trianis and the Victrition, killing everyone. This isn't a statistic, it's a scenario I prayed never happened because if I had failed to keep my identity a secret then I had failed my promise to you. Annali, I don't ever want to leave you. You are the best thing to have ever happened to me in years ever since my life was turned upside down since Shanxi. But if I've broken your trust for me then I don't deserve you. I've already done too much and it led to the death many innocent people who only wanted to find a life in this galaxy while I tried my best to…" Max trails off as tears begin flowing down his face, "I could have prevented the mutiny, I could have prevented anymore lives getting taken, I could have discovered the traitor, I could have done MORE!" Max slams his fist against the wall, his guilt had overcome him, "I could have saved James…" he says.

"James?" Annali asks. She never heard of anyone named James.

"James; James S. Colt, Admiral, and Captain of the SSV Kilimanjaro," Max clarifies.

"James…" she repeated his name, she only knew Colt by his last name. This was her chance, "Who was he to you," she asks.

"James… was like a father-figure to me. More of a mentor, actually; he inspired me to join the Alliance military as soon as I turned 18. Even though we were friends, he never gave me any benefits so as to teach me how to deal with situations as an adult. He gave me the image of fairness and to never judge another person just because he doesn't have something you have that he doesn't. As I ranked up and proven my effectiveness in battle against Cerberus and slavers, he nominated me as a candidate for the N7 program. Even when I was training, he still didn't help me but instead told me to never just trust in him to make it through something; you have to trust your peers to help you along. The problem was, no one wanted to trust anyone; we barely knew each other. What they needed was a leader. And because of that, me and two other teammates worked to lead everyone through every day. Not many people washed out since we kept the motivation and momentum going. I almost became an N7 if hadn't messed up on a mission back then. But my teammate helped pull us out of it and so he earned the title of N7 while the other leader in the pack failed the program altogether," Max paused towards the end.

Annali had an idea as to who it was, "Cromwell?" she asks.

"Yes, he punished one of our teammates for doing something wrong and nearly ended up getting court-martialed for what he did. He was kicked out and given a place as a 2nd Lt. later getting promoted to 1st officer. I always knew he hated the Alliance but I never fucking thought he would hate it so much as to join Cerberus. And from that point on, here we are, having this conversation and about to dock," Max says as he crosses his arms.

"Mam, we're docking," the pilot states.

Annali was surprised the ride lasted as long as it did, the conversation had brought many things to question but it mostly answered everything Annali thought about Max. He never wanted to hurt her, he just wanted to protect his people and her but it was hard to keep track of both. But the one thing that stuck out most of the conversation was his offer to disappear from her life. And she had no doubt he could, but then she couldn't imagine seeing him ever again. As they approached the shuttle doors, Max leaned down to her head and whispers, "If you want me gone, then I'll go," he says.

Annali almost wanted to yell no but she had to keep her composure, she needed to answer, "Max… I-" she begins to say but the doors cut her off.

A Turian soldier walks up to them and says, "Mam, the Captains are expecting you and the Captain at the bridge immediately," the soldiers informs.

"I know, he's here. What's the situation?" Annali asks.

"I really don't want to know but last I heard, they are starting to call it quits," the soldier tells them.

Annali and Max look at each other, both of them realizing this was getting much more serious, "Understood, we'll take care of it," Annali tells him. The two then rush for the elevator, wasting no time to get into argument and settle things down before it gets worse, "Or rather you'll take care of it," Annali says as she pushes the button leading to the bridge. Max wasn't sure as to how the Captains would react to Colts death, and it surely wasn't going to go swell.

As the elevator made its stop, the doors opened to reveal Caepraka and Captain Linnius arguing in a heated argument, "Linnius, you can't just walk out on this mission. We have enough supplies to keep us up for a few more weeks."

"Weeks? We've been at this for over a month and a half and you think we'll hold out for another few weeks. We got ambushed by Cerberus cruisers and by some sort of space station then we had to deal with the rat problem, and now the Kilimanjaro has been crippled and we nearly lost our lives trying to save their hide," LInnius retorts.

The two then notice Annali and Max standing near the elevator, "Veren, did you ensure Colt's safety?" Caepraka asks. Annali and Max remain silent, unsure as to answer. Caepraka eyes Annali suspiciously, "Liaison Officer Annali Veren, have you secured the Captains safety?" Caepraka asks.

Annali looks down in shame as she struggles to give her an answer, "Mam, the Captain… didn't make it," Annali tells her. Linnius and Caepraka both look at her in complete shock, neither had anticipated this sort of news.

"Colt is…"

"Yes, he is…" Max confirms.

"But how?" Linnius asks.

"Once we restored power to the Kilimanjaro, we managed to secure the Captain but the-"

"I was talking to the human, Liaison Officer," Linnius interrupts, silencing Annali.

Max looked down at Annali as she was instantly silenced just like that, it didn't fit right with him, "Linnius, you can't just silence her like that. She was on the right path," Max defends her.

"Engineer, I am not LInnius to you. I am Captain or mam and you will refer to me as such," LInnius orders him as she crosses her arms.

Max eyes her down, not liking her attitude towards him and Annali, his instincts were telling him to resist going all out on her. Annali saw this and tries to redivert the conversation back on topic, "Captain, in short, the traitor was a Cerberus agent taking the impression of Colt's 1st officer; Cromwell. Once Tereshkova had restored power to the ship, Cromwell found an opening and fatally wounded Colt. Colt passed away not too long ago," Annali quickly tells her.

Linnius looks back at Annali then at Max, "Then who is in charge?" she asks.

"That would be me," Max steps forward as he approaches the Holo-display.

Caepraka and Linnius both exchange looks of confusion and doubt, "He placed a Combat Engineer in charge of the Kilimanjaro?" Linnius asks.

"I believe the Captain kept something from us about Tereshkova that he didn't want us to see, am I close "Engineer"?" Caepraka emphasized the title, "Because I don't think you have armor with the N7 logo just for fun, right?" she asks again. Max knew she had him already figured out.

"Mam, I do not wear this tag for fun as I am an N7. I was the person you were talking about during the meeting this morning," Max formally reveals himself. Everyone in the bridge had caught eye at what he was saying and they were already looking at him with surprised eyes, "Colt and I were assigned different titles so as to not raise suspicion between us; he was an Admiral in the Alliance and I was an N6. I am not an N7 yet but before he was shot I believed he would have made me one. As an N6 I qualify to earn the rank of Admiral should I be given the Admirals pin," Max explains. This new information brought stunned expressions to Caepraka and LInnius's faces.

"You're saying he was an Admiral? Did he pass this 'Admirals pin' down to you?" Caepraka asks.

Max takes reaches into his pouch and holds out the pin, the golden chrome finish shined from the light of the Holo-display. Linnius and Caepraka both looked at the pin, then at Max, both clearly stunned. Linnius was the first to speak, "And why did you even hide your true identities?" she asks.

"We felt that, with the ongoing tension between the Alliance and the Turian Hierarchy, there may have been some issues over who had full authority over who. We were afraid the coalition would break as early as it had started before we could get information on your-" Max suddenly stopped before he spilt the beans entirely but it seemed he had nearly laid it all out on the table.

"On our what?" Linnius asks, now very suspicious. Even Annali was curious as to the Alliance's true goals.

Max sighed sharply, shaking his head, he knew he wasn't getting out of it and he was going to have to let them have it. He turns to Annali and says, "This is why I didn't want to say anything in the first place," he says before he faces the two Captains.

"Our… original plan was to find and destroy the Cerberus base that was theorized to be here. We took advantage of the Interspecies Exchange Program to organize a coalition between the Alliance and the Hierarchy. This was to mask my- OUR mission to…" Max pauses for a moment then continues, "-study your ships for any weaknesses we could exploit in case of war between us," Max tells them, revealing everything from start to end of the Alliance's plan.

Caepraka and Linnius stared at him with hard looks, not even flinching or acknowledging what he had just said. Linnius then gave a shake of her head, looking down then walking away, "Unbelievable… just fucking unbelievable… are you hearing this?" Linnius turns to Caepraka, she doesn't respond, "Are you hearing this? This whole damned mission was just a setup, this was never about Cerberus it was always about us. Who are we to them? Pawns or what, you tell me," Linnius shouts, her eyes burning with hate and betrayal.

Annali was just as shocked but she had no intention of getting angry again, "Captain Linnius please calm down," Annali tells her.

"Are you defending the Human, now? Do you have any idea what else he could be hiding that involves us?" she asks. Before Annali could respond to her Max voices himself.

"Linnius, I'm going to have to ask you to calm down, immediately," Max tells her in a stern tone. Annali didn't like where this was going, no one ever stood up to Linnius like that, not even Caepraka. All anyone ever did to calm her down was either talk sweet on the sidelines or agree with her. And Max was no follower.

"What did you just say to me?" Linnius asks, her anger was clear to everyone. Her hands remained loose but looked ready to turn into fist should her temper get the better of her.

Max wasn't fazed by her attitude and instead responded, "Linnius, as Admiral of this fleet, I am ordering you to calm down. You had no idea what you were involved in and now that you know you are doubting our ability to get the job done. If you had to hold sensitive information from your peers then it means you don't want anyone getting the hint because you know as soon as they know what you know there is surely going to be a battleground for disagreement. And this meeting proves my point," Max lays it all out on her. Caepraka seemed as though she was enjoying this but Annali was ready to intervene in case Max went too far, "So if you want to leave then, by all means, do what Cerberus wants you to do. This was their intent all along; to attack the Kilimanjaro and raise doubt within the ones that have high confidence thus creating disagreement. It's your choice," Max then crosses his arms right in front of her, waiting for her response.

Linnius's anger doesn't appear to differ, her hands didn't move or twitch and her green eyes remained fixed on Max's. After a long silence, she then crossed her arms, "Do you have a plan… Admiral?" Linnius asks. Annali finally lets out that breath she was holding, relieved Max hadn't peaked her. Even Caepraka was relieved as well, she didn't want to have to break up a fight between a Captain and the apparent new Admiral.

"In fact I do," Max then pulls up his Omni-tool, "We've captured the traitor and mole that was hiding on the Kilimanjaro and he's held up in the armory," Max shows an image of Cromwell.

"So this 'Cromwell', is the perpetrator of the attack on the Kilimanjaro? What do you intend to do with him?" Linnius asks.

"I have an idea but I have to make sure it'll work. I'll head back to the Kilimanjaro once I've gathered my belongings from my 'office' in Engineering," Max explains vaguely.

The two Captains look at each other, already doubting what Max had planned but thinking back to what he had said about Cerberus's plan, they needed to trust him. It was all they could do, "*sigh* Well, whatever it is, Admiral, it better be good and it better help wrap things up; we're low on food and I can only estimate we have as little as under two weeks before we have to get a resupply," Linnius explains.

"Don't worry, this should help us find the Cerberus base quick and easy. I'll explain the plan soon. Smith, did you get him to talk?" Max speaks into his wrist.

" _ **If you count screams of pain as talking then yes. If anything I just made him mute, I'm sorry, sir, I tried to be persuasive but you know me,"**_ Smith apologizes.

"Yeah, I know, just get him ready for my arrival. I'll be there shortly, just need to get something things from here then I'll join you, Max out!" Max closes his Omni-tool.

"Well, I guess I'll return to the Victrition now. This plan of yours better work, Admiral. I'm not putting my crew in danger of starvation because of you," Linnius walks past him toward the elevator, leaving the rest to themselves.

Caepraka is the first to speak, "Tereshkova, I'll see you soon. Your ship needs a Captain and we need the Admiral. If you don't come up with a plan soon then the mission is over and I have no intent on abandoning. You have my support on whatever it is you have, now go," Caepraka turns back to the Holo-display. Max nods and turns as he heads toward the elevator, "Annali can you come here for a second?" she calls for her.

"Yes, mam?"

Caepraka leans down to Annali's ear and whispers, "I need you to find out what he has planned and notify me as soon as possible, understood?" she orders. Back to the spying.

"Yes, mam," Annali salutes then moves to join Max in the elevator. Max selects the Engineering deck, the doors close and the elevator descends softly.

Max then lets out a heavy breath of relief, "Holy shit, it worked," he says.

"What?" Annali asks, confused.

"Forgive me but Cerberus hadn't really planned to separate us. I needed to get them to believe this was their plan all along," Max explains.

"You lied?" Annali asks she was in disbelief, he had done it again. But then again, "It worked…" she realizes where he was headed. Had he not said that Linnius would have outright walked out of the mission.

"It did, now I'm worried when they'll figure it out. I hope this works," Max says.

"What is your plan?"

"I won't say much but it involves Cromwell," Max tells her as the doors open to a hall. There were crewmembers running then and there, apparently there was interior damage as well; cables hung from the ceiling as some terminals were sparking with electricity, and apparently, there were fires as scorch marks painted the walls and ceilings, "I wonder how Ranan and the boys are holding up," Max states.

As they made their way to Engineering they came across black bags holding… bodies, "Looks like there were casualties after all," Annali mumbles. Max looked down at the bags and watched as one was being zipped up to hold a Turian male. He couldn't make out the rest as the bag was closed shut. Once they entered the Engine room, Max and Annali saw Ranan, Dray, and Cay working on their posts, "You guys are alright!" Annali states with a hint of relief they were okay.

The three look behind and their eyes lit up like fireworks, "You guys are alright?!" Dray says as the three walk up to them, "I hear you guys retook the Kilimanjaro," Dray tells them.

"That we did," Max tells him.

"So what's the plan then, we taking the fight to the Cerberus now?" Cay asks.

"Not yet we're not, but I promise you it'll happen soon," Max assures him.

"Aw yeah!" Cay cheers.

"I heard you lost the Captain, rumors have been going around Colt is dead, is it true?" Ranan asks.

Max makes an uncomfortable grunt and nods slowly, "Yes, he didn't make it… unfortunately," Max confirms.

"Damn, that… isn't good," Cay says.

"Well, no shit it isn't. What do you think their government is going to say; that we did it?" Dray asks him.

"No, they won't assume it was the Trianis. We have a boatload of witnesses and my personal witness as well," Max assures them.

"Good, cause I don't do well in court," Dray says in relief.

"So I guess it's back to the grind, right?" Ranan asks.

Annali looks to Max and nudges him to tell them, "Go on, tell them," she tells him.

Max was nervous but he knew he had to move on with it, he didn't have to keep anything a secret now, "Do you see this symbol?" he points to the N7 logo on his chest plate. The three nod, "Well, I belong to an elite division that usually works in the shadows. I worked as an N6 but I had to keep my cover so I came here as Private 1st class Max Tereshkova, Combat Engineer," Max explains to them. Their faces then turned to shock as he explained it to them, "My job was to learn the infrastructure of your ship and learn of its weaknesses in case of war between our species. And now that the Captain has gone, I'm in charge of the mission," Max tells them.

The three only looked at Max with astonishment, this was something they had never expected, "I would have never known you where you were just so… natural, I guess," Dray says, still shocked he never could tell.

"Yeah, well it's years of being someone you're not, I'm hoping this is my last impersonation. I'm sorry I fooled you for so long," Max apologizes.

"Don't be, you're still the same guy, right?" Ranan asks.

"Heh, trust me I very much am," Max assures him.

"Then there's nothing to be sorry about… Captain," Ranan salutes as do the others.

"Well, he's not actually the Captain," Annali reveals.

"He's not?" Ranan asks.

"The Captain was in disguise too, he was actually an Admiral and he's passed his rank down to me. I'm the Admiral," Max explains.

"Well, damn, I guess this means you're moving back to the Kilimanjaro, huh?" Ranan says, some disappointment in his voice.

"Yeah, new rank means new responsibilities. I just hope I can live up to Colt's expectations," Max says as he scratches his head nervously.

"Of course you will, if he gave you his rank then he surely must have seen something in you that made you worthy enough to earn it," Ranan tells him.

Max nods to his words, it made him feel better when he put it like that, "Thanks, Ranan. Anyways, I have to pack my stuff and head back to the Kilimanjaro. It's been a blast working with you guys," Max extends an arm.

Ranan looks at it and takes it, shaking it, "Same here," he says.

Max shakes Dray's and Cay's hands as well, bidding his farewells and later stepping into his old room. His bed was neatly made thankfully while his stuff was merely packed into his duffel bag. He opens his closet, taking out his spare clothes and stuffing it into his duffel bag. Annali watched as Max then pulled out his guitar from the closet and then began to set in his bag. She remembered back when she was looking through his stuff she came across it and managed to get sort of tune going. The awkward moment when Max walked in on her. It was a silly memory she played from time to time, but it was all in the past now. Max had finished getting his stuff together and he hauled the largest over his shoulder while carrying the other in his right hand, "Let's go," he says.

The two make their down to shuttle bay, the work was non-stop repairing the inside as well as the outside of the ship. Luckily, Annali's gamble paid off as no shuttles were lost from either the Trianis or Victrition. A risk, yes, but it worked out well in the end. Mostly. Once a shuttle had been made available, Annali and Max stood waiting at the landing pad. It was an awkward presence they had on each other; the worst had passed but Max's confession lingered in the air, still creating that barrier of mistrust. After their talk on the shuttle, Max's offer ringed in her head. She wanted to forgive him, her gut told her it was the right thing to do. But then again, she was still wary of him; lying could only get someone so far, and Max was no stranger to lying. He had been doing it to her for a month and a half. She saw what he was capable of doing when he was surrounded in the hall. Who knows what else he had up his sleeve. But she knew he wouldn't dare use them on her. She sensed his guilt, he truly was sorry he had even given her the choice of banishing him from his life, all just so his work didn't interfere with her life. But his work saved her from a world of grief; he helped her move on from her hate for humans, he brought laughter and joy to her and her friends, he even brought the good out of the coldest person she knew, Ja'quar. And because of that, he saved them in order to redeem himself for what he had done in the past. Max never anticipated he would go so far as to sacrifice his life for them, for a boat full of humans. She would forgive Max but now wasn't the time. The Mission comes first.

The shuttle landed on the pad, the doors opened for Max and the two stepped in, Max was a bit confused as Annali followed him in, "You're coming too?" he asks.

"The Captain has ordered me to report your so-called 'plan' once you've assembled it. You won't have a problem explaining it, will you?" Annali asks, hinting some doubt.

"No problem at all, the question is, will it work?" Max states.

"What do you mean 'will it work'? It should, shouldn't it?" she asks.

"Of course it will," Max assures her.

"Then why did you doubt yourself?" Annali asks.

"Because Cromwell is no idiot and he'll catch wind of what I'm trying to do if he finds out. So please, when I interrogate him don't interfere. It'll make sense once I'm done," Max explains.

Annali nods and smiles, further confusing Max, "Good job, Tereshkova, you're starting to talk honest for once," Annali cracks a joke, it had been a very tense day and she just wanted to lighten the mood up. As Max always tried to do. Max finally cracked a smile after what he thought he would never be able to do. It made Annali smile wider, it was the next step in forgiveness.

Just like he taught her.

 **Ello!**

 **Just posted this as I promised to keep updates regularly. Though I can't promise anything at this point, Spring Break really gave me time to work on this story, plus, I believe if I focused more on one thing then I can get this story done quicker. I'll occasionally upload chapters for my other story but my time will be spent more on this as it is of a universe I personally love.**

 **I also like Halo but that's a discussion for another time. I'll be working on the next chapter to keep the momentum going. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, there's a lot, I know, but as always…**

 **Have a nice day ;)**

 **Pfft!**


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

 **1726 P.M. Tasale System, Alliance vessel SSV Kilimanjaro, planetary orbit; Chasca – April 14, 2183**

As the shuttle docked, the doors opened and a soldier walks up to Max and Annali, "Sir, Smith has Cromwell in the interrogation room, awaiting your arrival," the man tells him.

"Uh, thank you… soldier. I'll head there immediately, have someone take my gear and leave it in the Captain's cabin," Max orders awkwardly.

"Yes, Admiral. Is there anything else?" he asks.

"No, that's it," Max says as he steps off the shuttle and drops his luggage.

"Very well, do you require an escort?" the soldier asks.

"No, I'm fine. Thank you, soldier, I'll get there on my own," Max says as he quickly sidesteps him. Annali follows suit, a cheeky grin on her face, this new responsibility was very much starting to creep on him. It was entertaining. Once Max turned to look at her, her face had returned to a normal expression.

"What?"

"Once we're inside I want you to stay with Smith on the other side of the window. Please, don't interfere, this is between me and Cromwell," Max tells her.

As they entered the armory, there was already a group of soldiers armed with rifles and armor. Sgt. Rudy stood by the door, his black and grey armor were still covered with multiple dents and scratches, the dimly lit room barely defining him, he was definitely around when the fighting started, "Admiral, Smith is just on the other side," Sgt. Rudy moves and unlocks the door.

"Thank you, Sergeant," Max walks into the room. Annali follows but is blocked by Rudy.

"I'm sorry, miss; only the Admiral is allowed in," he tells her.

"Nono, she can come in, it's fine," Max waves her in.

Sgt. Rudy nods and steps aside, allowing Annali passage. Max takes his spot next to Smith in front of a window, through it was an interrogator trying to get something out of Cromwell but he wasn't fazed in the slightest by the man. He was sat down on a chair with his hands handcuffed to the table, "He hasn't said a word, do we really need him?" Smith asks.

"We do, he's our key to finding the base," Max says. Annali walks up to the window, she observed the interrogator's methods of trying to crack Cromwell open. He was apparently new to this.

"Cromwell does not look intimidated in the least, you need someone who can stoop down to him on a deeper level," Annali suggests, hinting something.

"You want to do it?" Smith asks.

"I could," Annali responds, she wanted to find out who had attacked the fleet so she could find him and put a bullet in their heads. For all the trouble they put everyone through.

"She is not doing," Max says as he steps away from the window and toward a big suitcase on the table to the right of the room.

"Why can't I?" Annali asks, disappointed she couldn't take her anger out on him.

"Because he won't be intimidated in you in the slightest. You can hurt him physically but he's trained mentally. And he can handle a lot," Max opens the case and begins to assemble something, "You need someone who knows him well, someone who's lived with him for most of his life…" he finishes something dark colored but she couldn't make out what it was he had in his hand. It then looked like he was loading something into it when a small clicking sound was made. He places it on his belt and he looks toward Annali, "someone who can get in his head on a deeper level," he says as he walks toward the door. Before he could open the door, he looks back at Annali and Smith, "Do not interfere," he orders them as he enters the room, "Alright, detective, it's my turn," Max pats him on the back.

"Yes, Admiral," the man walks out of the room to join Annali and Smith on the other side of the one-sided window, "I hope he can get something out of him. This worthless piece of shit is wasting my time, in fact, all of our times," he mutters.

"We'll see," Smith says.

They watch as Max makes his approach, "Hey, Cromwell… long time no sees," Max says.

Cromwell sneers as he begins to laugh, "You think you can get anything out of me? I know you Tereshkova, I know-"Max moved with fluid reflexes as he unsheathed his knife and jabbed straight through Cromwell's hand and through the table, "GYAAAAAHHHAAA!"

"DID I ASK YOU TO ANSWER?!" Max roars in pure anger.

"GAH! FUCK!" Cromwell struggled to move his left hand to remove the knife but the handcuffs kept him in place.

Annali and Smith were shocked towards Max's sudden aggression, "Whoa, calm down, Max!" Smith spoke into the speaker.

"I got this," Max shouted, "You are going to tell me where your 'Castillo' resides or else I make you like Jesus Christ," Max threatens.

"Yeah right-"

*BAM*

"GAAAAH!"

Max stabs another knife into Cromwell's left hand, fully rendering him from moving his hands anywhere, "Wrong Answer," Max whispers coldly in his ear.

Annali had never seen this side of Max before, she was afraid this was what they were trained to do to prisoners. This was cruel, even by Turian standards this was too much, "Smith you have to stop this," Annali warns her.

"Max, that's enough!" Smith shouts into the speakers.

"Quiet!" Max roars. He turns his attention back to Cromwell, "I'm running out of time here and once that time is up, the crew will be working to remove the next to knives that will be going in your feet if you don't answer me as honestly as you can," Max threatens. His anger toward Cromwell had risen to a dangerous level, Cromwell caused the death of many innocent men and women who had nothing to do with the mission. He killed Colt for some petty reason he could have resolved so easily on his own but his own failure had to be taken out on someone. This only enraged Max more, he had killed Cromwell in cold blood and he was going to avenge him, no matter the cost.

After a brief moment, Cromwell could only chuckle, confusing Annali and Smith, "Heh, don't take this personal but this was strictly between me and Colt. If you want, we can still be friends," Cromwell teased Max.

Max's hands clenched tightly and began to move for the knife but he stopped himself, a smile forming on his face. Annali and Smith weren't exactly sure as to what he was going to do next until he spoke, "Wrong answer," Max made his move.

"MAX, NO!" Smith yelled into the microphone but Max had already reached for his belt and pulled out a black syringe.

He stands up and grabs Cromwell's head, smashing it into the table and jabbing the syringe into his back, "AAAAAAHH!" Cromwell screams in pain. Max pushed the button and a small pop was made. And like that, it was over. Max then forcefully pulls out the knives from his hands, eliciting more screams of pain from him. Max walks through the door and throws the knives into the trash, Annali and Smith only stared at him.

"What did you-" Smith began.

"Let him go," Max cuts her off.

"Let him go? We can't just-"

"I said…" Max stops and takes a deep breath, "I'm sorry, I just… needed to let it out…" Max says with sorrow, "I want a shuttle prepped and ready for departure for him. I want a medic to bandage him up before security escorts him out," Max orders.

Smith was confused beyond belief, "What are you talking about? We're letting our only chance of finding the base go, just like that?" Smith asks. While Smith was doubting Max, Annali had a hunch Max was up to something but she couldn't tell what it was. She could only wait and see.

"It'll make sense once he's off this ship, right now I need him in a shuttle. Get him any shuttle with a tracker on it," Max orders. It then becomes clear what Max had intended in the first place.

"Wait, so you made it look like you've given up on him so as to give him the impression we really don't need him?" Annali asks.

"I knew you'd figure it out," Max says, "Smith, find a shuttle for him and make sure it's tagged with a tracker. Wherever he goes, we'll know and once his position stops, then that's where our base is. Simple and done," Max explains. Smith nods in understanding and gives a playful punch.

"I guess I underestimated your abilities, Admiral. I'll get a shuttle ready and make sure he's bandaged up. So what's next?" she asks.

"Well, my Turian companion is going to proceed with her task, aren't you?" Max asks as she looks to Annali.

"Oh, right."

"What?" Smith asks.

"Since Tereshkova has already developed his plan then I have to update the Captains on the mission. However, I believe their initial reaction will be a bit salty," Annali explains.

"I don't mind," Max says.

"Then I'll get started with him, good luck getting them on the plan," Smith says as she walks through the door to Sgt. Rudy.

"It shouldn't be that hard, Caepraka said she would give me her full support on whatever I came up with," Max says. Annali gives a doubtful face, "What?"

"Usually when says that it means she's doubtful you can give her something good so you better explain it to her quite elegantly. If you can do that then you have LInnius's support as well, though, it's hard to impress her," Annali explains.

"It'll be fine and it will work, I promise you," Max says.

"Don't tell me that, tell them," Annali sidesteps him through the door. A pair of medics then walk in and enter the interrogation room. Cromwell groaned in sheer pain as they began mending his wounds. Max had to admit, he knew he went far with the interrogation but Cromwell took someone he had looked up to as an inspiration to his life. He thanked Colt for everything he had done for him, he was like his father; he told Max what to do and he never lost his faith in him. Even when he messes up. Max could only hope his plan would work.

1 hour and 45 minutes later…

Max, Annali, and Smith, along with a complement of soldiers stood by as Sgt. Rudy escorted the traitor down the aisle toward the shuttle that awaited him. Cromwell was still handcuffed, his bandages were neatly wrapped around his hands with the compliment of two big bloody spots on both sides. Annali watched as he walked down and stopped just by the doors that would lead him into the shuttle. Sgt. Rudy uncuffs him quickly and then shoves him into the shuttle, causing him to stumble. Before Cromwell could step inside, he turns to Max, flashing him a menacing smile, "This isn't over Max, nothing will prepare you for what comes next. Nothing will. You will all die to the emptiness of space. I'll make sure of it," Cromwell states before Sgt. Rudy shoves him.

"Shut your trap and get off my ship," he snarls.

Max stood down the middle of the aisle, watching as Cromwell turned to look at him, his eyes full of hate and non-regret. He had changed so much, how had he not seen it sooner. He almost wanted to order the troops to fire on him but it would only make things worse. Cromwell, chuckled as he lifted a small opening under the floor, his hand reaches down and pulls out a small circular device from below, "It was nice of you to hide this tracker so you could keep track of me but I really don't need it. You can have it," he tosses it at Sgt. Rudy's feet, a look of realization then hitting everyone in the face. He had found the tracker.

"Shit," Smith mutters as she gets into the aisle, "Stop him!" she hollers.

The soldiers aim their rifles towards but Cromwell only waves, "Lates!" he says before the doors close remotely before the soldiers take fire. The shuttle lifts off, quickly positioning its way over the hangar opening then dropping down. Once the shuttle had been clear, Cromwell rocketed down to the planet surface.

Everyone stood at the edge of the opening, watching as Cromwell made his easy escape, "Well, that turned out a lot better than I thought it would," Max says, not even mad or anything.

"How can you say that? He found the tracker I slipped in, now we can't track him. Admiral, we need to blow out of the sky before it's too late," Smith states.

"That won't be necessary," Max tells her as he begins walking away.

Smith and Annali look at each other in complete confusion, the tracker was disabled and nowhere Max was saying he didn't deserve to get blown into space, "Max, what the hell are you talking about? Your plan just flew away in a shuttle," Annali shouts.

Max stops and turns to both of them, a curious expression had formed, "How do you think the Captains will react?" Max asks as he continues toward the elevator.

"Based on what I think and know what you're going to say, I'd say not very well," Annali states as a matter of factly.

Max shrugs and walks into the elevator, his hand blocking the door, "You coming?" he asks

"Like we have a choice…" Smith says as she shakes her head in disbelief. The two join Max in the elevator, it was much smoother than the Trianis.

As they headed ascended toward the bridge, Annali breaks the silence, "So… what are you going to say to her?" Annali asks. Max bites his lips, unsure as to how to answer. He was going to have to find out the hard way.

Minutes later…

" _ **YOU FUCKING WHAT?!"**_ Linnius hollers over the comms. Max had made the bad decision the renegade option of plainly telling her what had happened.

" _ **Tereshkova, I expected more from you. But I did not expect you to just let our only source of information get away Scott free and not blow him out of our airspace!"**_ Caepraka shouts.

Annali was eager to hear Max's response, of all the things he had done, this was the most poorly executed plan she had ever seen. Max struggled to come up with an answer but before he could say anything, Linnius was already shouting over the comms, _**"Tereshkova, you better give one hell of a reason why I shouldn't outright secede from this mission. You have 10 seconds to give me one before I-"**_

"Captain, don't worry, I wanted him to believe he had gotten rid of the tracker," Max begins to explain.

There was a long silence over the comms before Linnius spoke, _**"You mean you hid another tracker on the shuttle?"**_ Linnius asks.

"Oh no, he definitely took out the only one in the shuttle. We can't track the shuttle…" Max explains.

" _ **Max where the hell are you going with this?"**_ Caepraka asks, impatience creeping up in her voice.

A smile begins to form on Max's face as he reaches into his belt pouch and pulls out the black syringe, "You two remember this?" he asks.

"Yes?" Annali and Smith nod.

"Well, before I left, I injected Cromwell with a micro transmitter into his back. We can get a clear signal as to where he's going from here…" Max reveals. Soon it all made sense to Annali; he wanted Cromwell to believe he had Max figured out. It was all in keeping the act flawless.

"That's… pretty crafty of you," Annali compliments.

"Captains, your opinion?" Max asks them as he stoops over the Holo-display.

There was another dead silence as the Captains thought about what Max had revealed to them. Caepraka was the first to speak, _**"Tereshkova, that's mighty genius of you to pull that off. With his location, we can pinpoint where he is. If he stops for any reason then that's where our base is. Linnius, you have anything to say?"**_ Caepraka asks.

Linnius hadn't said anything for a while now, it seemed as though she was in deep thought. After a minute of silence, she finally spoke, _**"The Victrition is ready to aid you in whatever it is you need. You have my support. Now, what's the plan; we just wait till he stops somewhere then drop in?"**_ she asks.

"Yes, we wait for him to stop, if he doesn't move anywhere else other than a few miles then we can move in. It's only a matter of time before he gives us his location. He can get around in that shuttle, it's the best we have, or rather, the best we had on the ship," Max corrects himself.

"So you gave him the best WE had and not a standard model?" Smith asks.

"Hey, the sooner he gets there the sooner we can blast him to kingdom come. Once we have his location, we'll position our ship a few kilometers from his point so we can scout out the area. So, what say you?" Max asks the Captains.

" _ **You have my support,"**_ Caepraka says.

" _ **As well as mine, notify me once you have something. And Admiral…" Linnius calls to Max, "Forgive my earlier outburst, I was wrong to believe you were not worthy enough to be an Admiral,"**_ Linnius apologizes.

Max gives a kind smile and nods, "We all have our doubts, Captain. You're not the only one," Max tells her.

" _ **Thank you, LInnius out!"**_ the comm disconnects.

" _ **I will speak to you soon, Admiral. I expect an update on his location,"**_ Caepraka states.

"You'll be the first to know, Tereshkova out!" Max closes the comm and breathes deeply, "And now, the wait begins," Max pulls up a holographic view of the planet, the position of the fleet could be seen as they were parked over the Northern pole of the planet, a red dot could be seen flickering on and off as it moved down towards the planet.

"Is that Cromwell?" Smith asks.

"Yes, looks like he's heading down to them… northern continent. Weren't we there just a few days ago?" Max asks Smith.

"We were, seems there's a spot we missed down there, I could have sworn we scanned the entire continent," Smith explains.

"Well have to see where he goes, maybe we did miss a spot," Annali suggests.

Hours go by as the three continue to monitor Cromwell's voyage, but it seemed as though he was taking his time getting there. Every once in a while he would slow down then speed up, alternating his path constantly. Smith was becoming impatient as she waited for him to just arrive wherever he needed to go. Max carefully watched the red dot move down lower on the continent, he knew Cromwell knew where the base was, this coalition wasn't just to strengthen ties with the Turians but to eliminate a Human problem that would affect their position on the Citadel Council. If they could find this base and destroy it, it would mean a huge step forward for the Alliance.

Just then, the dot had slowed down drastically and came to an eventual stop, "There, you see it? He's stopped!" Max says. Annali and Smith see the dot has stopped moving.

"Then that's where the base is, right?" Smith asks.

Max wanted to believe her but he had a hunch something was up, "Zoom in on his location," the hologram then zoomed in closer to the terrain just above where Cromwell was. It looked as though he had left the shuttle and was now walking, "Where the hell is he going?" Max mutters to himself. Just then, the dot flickered rapidly then suddenly, it disappeared, "Wait, what?" Max rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn't seeing things.

"Where did it go?" Annali asks as she stared in the last known location of the dot.

"Tell me this thing isn't working right," Max says as he kicks the Holo-display.

"It's working fine, sir!" a crewman tells him.

"Damn, where the hell did he go? How did he just disappear off our radar?" Smith asks. Max was dumbfounded, he had no explanation as to what had just happened. There was only one thing left to do, "Give me exact coordinates of his last known location," Max turns to Smith.

"Got 'em," she pulls up the coordinates and Max copies them into his Omni-tool.

"Helmsman, move the Kilimanjaro close to these coordinates but keep a distance of 10 kilometers, do not move any closer," Max instructs.

"Yes, sir," the helmsman then goes to work on his terminal.

"Smith, contact Caepraka and Linnius and tell them to follow our lead, keep everyone on high alert," Max orders.

"Got it," Smith then goes to contacting the vessels.

Annali senses Max is thinking about something, "What are you thinking, Tereshkova?" Annali asks as she watches the Kilimanjaro's stern move forward.

"I'm thinking we've found the pirates cove," Max says, his voice hinting anticipation.

Once Caepraka and Linnius received word of the anomaly, they directed their ships to follow the Kilimanjaro close to Cromwell's last location. The three vessels approached the location but parked just a few kilometers from the nav point.

"Scan the area below, see if we missed anything," Max orders.

"Yes, sir." The Tech specialist begins.

Meanwhile, Max began examining the route Cromwell took before disappearing off the radar. There was no possible reason for the tracker to just suddenly go out on him. It couldn't have malfunctioned, he just activated. The entire time, Max couldn't find a good enough reason for how they lost him in the blink of an eye. Unless…

"Sir, I've completed the scan," the Tech specialist notifies him.

"What have you got?"

"Sir, we've scanned this area before, it's in our logs," he tells him.

Max and Annali instinctively look at each other in utter suspicion, something wasn't right, "When did you scan this area before?"

"Sir, with all honesty, we scanned this area three times in the past month. There's no sign of man-made structures anywhere," the Tech Specialist explains.

" _What the hell?"_ Max thought to himself. This only further complicated things, they were at a dead end.

"This can't be right, the Trianis and Victrition were also scanning the area but came up with nothing either. There's something down there blocking our scans," Annali suggests.

"What are you thinking?" Max asks.

"I think I'd like to have a closer look," Annali begins to walk toward the exit but Max grabs her by the arm, knowing where she was going with it.

"You're not going down there alone," Max tells her.

"You can't come, Max; you're the Admiral, you should stay here where it's safe," Annali shakes her arm out of his grasp.

"I can take care of myself but I'm worried-" Max cuts himself off before he finishes, he knew the people in the room could hear them and he didn't want them to understand his relationship with Annali. Well, what was left of it anyway.

Annali turns to Max and walks up to him, stopping just inches from his face as she looks up at him, "I understand your concern Max but I don't want to lose another Captain again. Comprende?" Annali throws a Spanish word at him.

Max's face turns into a smile, Annali smiles back as he nods in agreement, "I'll have a Recon squad accompany you as you investigate. Whatever you do, don't take any risks," he tells her.

"Understood… Admiral," Annali says quickly turning and killing the moment.

Max wanted to say something else to her but he didn't want anyone to hear it. He could only turn back to the Holo-deck and take Colt's place, "Lieutenant, you there?" Max speaks into the comms.

" _ **Yes, sir, what can I do?"**_ the Lt. asks.

"Gather your squad together, you're accompanying Turian Officer Veren to do some Recon. Can I trust you?" Max asks.

" _ **Of course, sir! We'll accompany her. What is it we're looking for?"**_ the Lt. asks.

"She'll brief you on the details. Pack some gear in case you meet any 'unfriendlies' along the way," Max explains.

" _ **Copy that, we'll be ready in five!"**_ the comms disconnect as Max brings the map up. The area they had scanned looked normal; the area stretched far with forests riding every mountain and hill. Even with all that foliage, there had to be a sign of some sort of Man-made structure present. Hopefully, the scouting party could shed some light on the mystery.

[

Annali had taken a compliment of Alliance weaponry with her since she had left her own weapons back on the Trianis. It felt weird wielding something that wasn't Turian in her hands but then again she had spent the past month fondling her Human lover. The offer then came back to her again, " _If you don't want me anymore, then I can disappear from your life forever,"_ she replayed it again, each time she wanted to just slap him for offering that sort of choice to her. She was still at a crossroads on forgiving him but his work had affected her in so many ways. How could she live with a man who would go on missions that would involve shadow figures into his life? And Max knew that. That's why he offered her the choice of severing ties with him so she wouldn't have to deal with his work getting in the way of both of them. He wanted to protect her from his job. It almost made her wish she never knew the truth, it just seemed to complicate everything more.

"Officer Veren, over here!" a man calls her. She turns to look at him and realizes who it was.

"Lieutenant Young? You're coming?" she asks as she approaches him.

"Yes, I am. The Admiral gave me orders to accompany you and help you with Recon. He said you'd give us the details as we make our descent," Young tells her.

"Yes, I will. Are your men ready?" she asks.

"All six of 'em ready for deployment. Just waiting for you," Young states.

"Then let's not waste any more time, let's get moving," Annali sidesteps him and enters the shuttle.

"Copy that! Pilot, close the doors, take us down!" Young says as he walks in the shuttle with Annali.

"Alrighty, sealing the hatch," the pilot taps at his terminal and closes the doors as Annali and Young sit down on the seats. The shuttle levitates off the landing pad and hovers over the hangar bay, "This is shuttle 23, permission to separate from Kilimanjaro, over?" the pilot states.

" _ **Pilot, you have clearance! Fly safe!"**_

"Thank you, dropping in 3…2…1…!" the shuttle then drops down through the opening and dives down toward the planet.

"Pilot, do you have the navpoint?" Young shouts over the noise of friction as the shuttle descends through the atmosphere.

"Affirmative, I received special orders to take you in 100 meters from the navpoint. I'll stay nearby in case you need a quick extraction," the pilot explains.

"Copy that!" Young acknowledges. He then turns to Annali, "So, you going to brief us? Tell us what we're looking for?" he asks.

"Right; half an hour ago we were tracking the traitor, Cromwell, before his tracker suddenly stopped transmitting. Before he disappeared it seemed he was walking toward something until ultimately going off radar into a 'black' zone, I guess you could say," Annali explains.

"So we're following the last known lead into the Black zone?" Young asks.

"Correct, Max- the Admiral wants us to find him, if not, find something that could tell us of his disappearance; Man-made structures, of the sorts. We have reason to believe a Cerberus base is hidden somewhere nearby which is why we're going in to investigate," Annali clarifies.

"Gotcha. Whatever it is, we'll be ready. Pilot, how far are we from the drop point?" Young asks.

"We're three miles out and approaching fast, 25 seconds!" the pilot notifies.

"Copy, everyone get your gear together, we're moving soon!" Young gets up as he inspects his M8 Avenger. The rest of the squad begin checking their gear as they prepare themselves. Annali even noticed some had brought duffel bags containing multiple items.

"What is in the bags?" Annali asks.

"Recon scouts bring the essentials with them in case we have to stay out for a long period of time," Young explains.

"But this only a short scouting mission, you didn't need to bring all this stuff," Annali tells him.

"You never know, one day you're walking on the beach then suddenly it's a Hurricane. You learn to expect the worst and hope for the best," Young tells her as he clips the rifle to his back, "Everyone check your gear?"

"Sir, yes, sir!" they confirm in unison.

"5 seconds to drop!" the pilot announces.

"Officer Veren, you know the way so you'll take point," Young tells her.

"Such a gentleman you are, thank you," Annali jokes, making a few men chuckle behind him.

"Sure," The doors open as the shuttle lands, allowing the squad to pile out and secure a perimeter, "Pilot, remain here until we return. We'll notify you if need extraction," Young tells him.

"Copy, sir! Safe hikes," the pilot wishes them.

"Thanks, Officer Veren, on you," Young says as he takes out his rifle.

"Let's move," Annali puts on her helmet and waves for the team to follow her. The navpoint showed how far they were from the location and they were not going to slow down for anything. However, they did have to wait for the ones who were carrying the bags full of the 'essential' as Young put it.

As they approached 15 meters, Annali could make out a familiar color in the distance, as they ran it became clearer once she saw the Alliance symbol on the side of the blue shuttle, "I see the shuttle," Annali calls out.

"Then let's tread carefully, he could be close by. Guys, keep your eyes peeled," Young states.

The group scan the area with their rifles as they split up and circle around the shuttle. Annali turned the corner and only saw the other group emerge from the opposite side as well. They converged on the shuttle entrance with its doors wide open, Young was the first to enter and made his way into the cockpit, "Nothing here. looks like Cromwell really did abandon the shuttle," Young confirms.

"We tracked him heading west of this position, he's just a few meters up," Annali states as she moves toward the navpoint. The squad follows behind her as they continue to scan the area, Annali was ready for anything, they approached the navpoint as it then stood just in front of Annali, "The trail ends here," Annali says as she looks down at the virtual marker.

"Well, it can't be that he just up and disappeared," Young states.

"Of course not, he had to have gone somewhere, though, where I don't know," Annali looks ahead of her, he had continued walking but there was only more forest up ahead. This was going to be a maze, " _He couldn't have disappeared into thin air, he went somewhere…"_ Annali wondered. She thought for sure there would be some answers down here but all it did was bring up more questions.

"Sir, look ahead," one of the scouts points down toward the ground. Annali and Young look down toward their feet and realized there were footprints traveling in a straight line into the woods, "I think our man just kept walking."

"We have a lead, Veren," Young tells her.

"We do, let's follow the trail," Annali says. Young motions for the team to follow.

They quicken their pace as they follow the trail, the forest began getting denser and denser as they went farther and farther. The tracks eventually stopped dead just a few feet in front of them, going nowhere. There any more tracks leading ahead, "Not again," Young sighs. They were at a crossroads and this time, there was nothing hinting his disappearance.

"This can't be it… there has to be more…" she ponders, walking to the end of the trail. There was no third party involved as long as she could see. Staring off into the distance she only saw more trees ahead, leading into a foggy haze, "Young, we're heading back to the shuttle," Annali tells him as she begins heading back. As she walked, she saw Young staring off into the distance as if he didn't hear her, "Young, we're heading back to the shuttle," he didn't even acknowledge her, "Hey, Young!" she shouted this time and still no answer. She walks up behind and shakes him, "Hey, can't you hear me? We're headed back to the shuttle," she tells him directly. But Young's head backs up suddenly as if he was confused. His head started moving as if he was talking but she couldn't hear her. Annali was confused so she took off her helmet, "Are saying something?" she asks.

Young then proceeded to take off his helmet, "I can't hear you, are the comms down?" he asks.

"They're on, why couldn't you hear me?"

"I don't know, I heard you speaking but then you trailed off like you were walking off in the distance. I think my helmet is faulty. Here hold on," Young fiddled with the inside of his helmet for a moment before he placed it back on. Annali placed her Annali on as well and waited for his voice. Nothing.

Annali takes her helmet off, "Young, I can't hear you at all. Try and talk to your team," Annali tells him.

Young looks to one of them and tries to communicate, the man didn't even acknowledge him. Young shakes him to get his attention and tries to speak but the soldier only looked confused as he cupped the left side of his head where his ear would be signaling 'I can't hear you'. Young takes off his helmet and speaks, "Can't you hear me?" he asks.

The soldier takes off his helmet and says, "Couldn't you hear me?" he asks.

Young looks to Annali, suspicion was in his eyes, "I have a weird feeling something's up. Check your comms channels," Young says as he pulls up his Omni-tool.

Annali pulls up her own and she looks at the squad channel, something was interfering with the connection, "Are you getting this?" Annali asks him.

"Yeah, something's jamming our communications. I think we've stepped into the black zone," Young hypothesizes.

"I think so too. Tell everyone to switch their helmet settings to vocal mode so we can hear each other," Annali tells him. While in silent mode, no sound could be made outside of their helmets, they could only communicate through comms channels which made it effective so as to not shout orders in the middle of the battlefield so the enemy could figure out what your move is.

Young waves for everyone to notice him and he motions for them to take off their helmets, "Guysk switch to vocal mode, our comms are down right now so we can't hear each other through it," Young tells them. Everyone nods and switches the settings to vocal, "How copy?" Young asks.

The squad nods, "Copy, sir!"

"Can you hear me, Veren?"

"I can hear you," Annali confirms as she puts on her helmet, "It seems we're close though I'm not sure how close," Annali says.

"I guess we just head back and tell the Admiral what we have. No point in straying ourselves any further," Young says.

"This can't be it, I know there's more to this but I just can't see it," Annali kicks a pebble. She watches as it bounces away from her then suddenly it vanishes before her eyes, "Whoa, did you see that?" Annali was in disbelief at what had just happened to it.

"See what?" Young asks.

"I just kicked a pebble over there and it just vanished," Annali tells him.

Young looks over to where she was pointing but he didn't see anything suspicious, "I think the fog is messing with your eyes. Come on there's nothing here," Young tells her.

"I know what I saw, look…" Annali picks up a small pebble and throws it in the direction the footprints. And like that, the pebble disappears in midair. Young blinked his eyes to make sure he wasn't seeing things.

"Whoa, what the hell?"

"Did you guys see that?" a squad member asks.

"You saw it too?" Annali asks.

"Yeah, it just vanished in midair."

Annali approaches the area of where the pebble had vanished hoping to set something off but as she continued on, nothing special had happened. How did it just vanish? "Whoa, Veren, where are you?" Young then shouts for her. Annali turns around and sees Young and the other members looking in her direction but they were looking towards her as if she had… disappeared?

"Young I'm right here," Annali waves to him but neither react to her wave.

"I can hear you but I can't see you," Young tells her.

Annali approaches Young closer until she's only a foot away from him, "I'm right here," she tells him.

"Gyah!" Young shouts as he backs away suddenly. The other squad members look at her with wide eyes.

"What the hell, her head is just…" one of them tries to say but their astonishment silences them. Annali was confused beyond belief.

"What are talking abo- WHOA!" Annali looks down at her feet but sees nothing, only her hands emerge from nothing. But as she backs away her body reappears, "What the hell is this, some sort of…" then realization hits her, "Young, this has to be some sort of cloaking field," she tells her. Annali looks down below to see Cromwell's footprints continuing on into the forest as well as her two pebbles.

"A cloaking field?" Young asks as he slowly inches his way to her voice. Then she sees it, as his arm and legs entered the field then became visible as waves were created as he moved in.

"I can see it, it really is some sort of cloaking field," Annali says.

Young finally steps in fully, "I can see you know. Man, Cerberus is on some next level tech, I'll tell what," Young looks up as the field became distorted as the rest of the squad passed through.

"That is really trippy," one of the squad members says, looking up to the sky as the field distorted it.

"It means they're using some sort of new cloaking technology that can create clear illusions and deflect scans from space flawlessly. This is how they've avoided our scans for so long. I swear, Cerberus always makes the good shit," Young states.

Annali looks down towards the trail of footprints, they continued on into the forest, "Come on, I have a feeling there's more to this," Annali waves them. The squad gather their bearings as they follow Annali, still admiring the invisible field above them. Slowly but surely, the squad trek through the dense forest, staying close together so as to not separate and get lost. The foggy haze made it seem like the forest Annali ran through in her nightmares, though, she never did have them anymore. Wherever the base was it had to be close, there had to be some sort of facility or compound nearby. The prints kept heading in the same general direction until turning left. Regardless, they kept following it.

"Hey, do you hear that?" Young holds a fist, signaling for everyone to stop.

"Hear what?" one of the squad members asks.

"Quiet… listen," the squad falls dead silent as they listen. The faint rumble of an engine from a shuttle could be heard.

"I hear it, we're getting close; tread slowly, we're in enemy territory now," Annali tells them.

As they continue following the prints the sounds become much clearer as distinct radio chatter could be heard as they came closer and closer to… a massive wall.

"Well, shit," Young states plainly as he looks far up at the biggest wall he had ever seen.

"Christ, that has to be 120 ft. max, no way we're going to get a peek at it, not even the trees are tall enough to get us a peek," One of the squad members states.

Annali stares up at the massive wall that stood before her, the man was right, it was too tall to scale. They needed a way to get eyes on it, but how?

"Do any of you have a drone or… maybe an extremely long periscope on you?" Young asks.

"Wait, sir! I think I have something we can use," One of the squad members tells him. Pulling up his Omni-tool, he then activates something which generates a basketball sized glowing sphere, "Say hello to my little spy drone, more of an attack drone but it can be used either way. I can bring him up to the top and get us eyes on it," the soldier explains as he pilots the holographic drone.

"Well, I wasn't expecting that. Make sure you record it as you bring it up over, get a shot of the wall and whatever's on the other side," Annali tells him.

"I can also change its color, see…" he flicks through the colors on the screen, the drone changed colors as he selected one.

"Does it have a tactical cloak to hide it?"Annali asks.

"Of course it does," he then selects the camouflage and the drone fades away into a distorted floating piece of glass, "But I can also change it to blue, pink, green, even rainbow," the soldier flicks through all the colors as it changed to a flashing disco ball.

"NONO, just leave it at stealth, we don't need them to know we're having a party," Annali tells him, nervously looking up at the wall, hoping no one saw the flashes.

"Sorry about that, I just got it recently and I've been meaning to test it out. Here we go," the soldier then begins to record and pilots the drone up, switching it to stealth quickly. The drone soared above them as it then took a look at the wall giving a good angle to the camera. Ascending to the top, it came face to face with a Cerberus trooper standing guard at the top.

"Pull it down!" Annali nearly shouts at him, trying to keep her voice low.

"I got it-I got it!" the soldier pilots the drone quickly away, luckily the trooper was terribly oblivious to it. Once the drone had hovered over the wall, a terrifying view came in.

"By the Spirits…" Annali whispers as she looks at the soldier screen; it was practically a city, there were two-story buildings spread all around into a circular grid. They were all painted white and yellow, the colors of Cerberus as well as the symbol marking the buildings as property. Just behind the walls were massive Anti-aircraft guns, and they were huge, Annali guessed they were just under 60 feet from barrel to base. They seemed to have the potential to seriously damage cruisers what with the large barrel emanating a blue glow. As the drone passed over the buildings, Annali noticed the buildings getting taller and taller and that's when she saw the tallest tower she had ever seen; the tower was gothic in appearance and was painted black with green glows emanating from certain areas, at the very top she saw the generator that was creating the Cloaking field. A jet of light was being pushed and spread out to create the shield, some shuttles flew in and out from what appeared to be the hangar for shuttles to dock and leave. Annali was stunned by the amount of area the base had taken up, it was hard to believe they could hide all of this, "I really hope you're recording this," she tells the soldier.

"Don't worry, I am," he assures.

"To think we actually missed them, this isn't good, they made this as a permanent residence. They're not going to let go of this easily if we bring the fight to them. We need to catch them off guard while they think we're still searching for them," Young explains.

"I suggest we sabotage something but we can't get in there without making such a ruckus, besides we can't even scale the wall with what we got," Annali ponders. They had the element of stealth on their side and no one knew they were there, "Soldier, can you move in closer to that tower?" Annali asks.

"Afraid not; the signal can only reach up to 35 ft. I'm afraid this is as far as I can get it before we lose the connection," the soldier explains.

"Then let's see the what we have right now," Young tells him. The soldier deactivates the drone and pulls up a holographic model of the already mapped out area the drone had collected, "Here's us, just in front of the wall, and here's the tower, I'd say it's a 3-kilometer distance between us. If we're going to get ground forces in..." Young begins to formulate a plan.

"What are you saying, you want to hit this base with all we got? They have AA guns and a thick wall capable of taking a hit from nearly anything that isn't as large as a Mass Accelerator. We have to make it clear to our ships what they're trying to hit clearly. We need to find a way to disable that Cloaking field and a way to get our ground forces close enough to the wall and get through it," Annali explains.

"Well luckily someone decided to bring Fusion Charges with us, right?" Young stares directly at the soldier with the duffel bag.

"Fusion Charges?" Annali asks, she had never heard of them.

"Here, hand me one," Young extends a hand. The soldier unzips the bag and pulls out a circular device with a handle on it. The device had a yellow glow coming from the center. Young grabs it by the handle and walks over to the wall, "These explosives are an experimental weapons project currently in development. I really won't say much except for the fact that they can vaporize a hole straight through 6 feet of concrete easily. And this will certainly get the job done no problem," Young walks up to the wall but stops a few feet from it, he bends down and picks up a rock and throws it. The rock bounces off as an invisible shield makes itself present by glowing blue, "Kinetic barriers, by my guess they'll soak up a lot of damage as long as nothing penetrates the wall behind it," Young walks through the barrier and slams the Fusion Charge on the wall and rotates the handle. The device then makes a single beeping sound and anchors itself into the wall, "Joey, how much did you bring with you?" Young asks.

"About seven, sir," Joey replies.

"Veren, we can place seven charges in separate locations of the perimeter. If we make our offense we can get our Makos in and they can fire on the generator at the tower. Once we do that we have the support of the fleet on our side and we can take this base. But that doesn't mean there won't be casualties," Young explains.

Annali nods in acknowledgment, there definitely was going to be casualties, it was inevitable but they had to do this. Too many lives had perished by Cerberus hands, too many had died to make these experiments possible. It was necessary, "Alright, we need to scout the rest of the perimeter, we can't get everything from just here; we need to split up into two teams and scout around for any other possible weaknesses," she then looks to the soldier who had the drone, "From what we saw from your drone it seems this area is the least active so we'll leave this charge here as we make our plan. Once we've done that we'll head back to the shuttle and present the Admiral with what we have," Annali explains.

"Agreed, we'll have to tread carefully as we do Recon. Officer Veren, you take Joey and Gracer and scout the southern perimeter of the compound while I take the rest and head to the northern perimeter, see if we can find a gate or an entrance. We'll meet back here at the eastern perimeter soon as we've gathered intel. Now, let's move!" Young orders as he reaches for his M8.

Annali nods in agreement and the two squads split up to explore the new found base. Whatever other secrets were held they were going to be discovered soon. The western perimeter was the perfect angle to attack from but more intel was needed before they came up with a solid plan, they merely had an outline of it. Annali and the squad stayed within the cover of the trees so as to mask themselves as they quickly made their way.

After a few minutes, they had arrived at the Southern perimeter, "Alright, get a drone in the air," Annali orders. Joey then generated one with a push on his wrist. The drone appears in an instant and camouflages, Joey then pilots it over the wall and scans the area.

"There's more AA guns here. Updating the map," he says. He sends the data to the Map and a new piece is added to the pie. The newly mapped area had just as many guns as the Eastern perimeter, attacking it from the south would be just as chaotic but they needed to concentrate their fire on one side and then continue out to the rest. A good plan but there had to be more to the base than they already knew. The tower wasn't just there to generate the Cloaking field. There was more to it.

"Let's go check the western perimeter, see what's up over there," Annali tells the men.

"But the Lt. said we should scan this area and then meet back at-"

"Maybe there's another entrance, all we've found is just more wall. If there's an entrance, we can use it to our advantage when we attack this place, it'll make this much easier and much faster to accomplish since we'll have someone on the inside while the fight is elsewhere. You do want to go home in one piece, right?" she asks. The two men look at each other, they weren't fond of dying yet.

"Fine, we'll scout the west perimeter. But we have to hurry, I think Young's done with the northern perimeter and he'll be expecting us back," Joey tells her.

"We'll be back just after the scan, let's move," Annali motions for them to follow her. They then make the next long run for the west perimeter, following the wall to the last stop. There was no entrance which made sense and no sense at the same time; one so no one sneaks inside or escapes. Joey was already breathing heavily as he had been carrying the Fusion Charges the entire trip, "Why didn't you leave the charges back where we were in the first place?" Annali asks.

"You know *huff* that's a good question, hoo boy!" Joey breathes heavily.

Annali shakes her head disappointingly, "Whatever, just get your drone up there," Annali tells him.

Joey nods and spawns the drone once again, piloting it up the wall but then comes face to face with another Cerberus troop, "What the?" the trooper yells. Joey forgot to enable the camo.

"Did you seriously just-?" Annali begins to say.

"Hold on," Joey presses a button on his wrist and an electrical current then shoots out from the drone, stunning and ultimately knocking the trooper out, "How about that?" he looks at Annali.

"Just scan the area already, we might get caught," Annali mutters frustratingly. Joey proceeds to scan the area, recording every little detail the camera could provide. There were just as many AA guns and they were just as spread out as the other perimeters, about 5 per area. There were multiple landing pads spread all over the area, in case of too many shuttles were in the towers hangar Annali thought.

"Alright, area scanned. Let's head back now before-"

"WE HAVE A MAN DOWN ON THE WESTERN WALL!" Joey gets cut off as another Cerberus trooper arrives and spots the unconscious body, "DRONE! ENEMY SCOUTS HAVE BEEN SPOTTED!" the static from the helmet makes his voice almost indecipherable but everyone already knew they had been caught.

"Shit, recall the drone!" Annali shouts as she takes off the M8 from her back.

"Hold on!" Joey pilots the drone and shocks the Cerberus trooper before he could fire a shot, "Took care of him, we're in the clear…"

*BBEEEEOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMM*

Sirens wail loudly coincidentally as Joey ends his sentence. Both Annali and Gracer look at him annoyed, "A party?" Joey suggests sheepishly.

"Get your shit and MOVE!" Annali hollers as she picks him up forcefully and pushes him to get running. Annali looks up as she sees a Cerberus trooper look over the edge and spots them.

"DOWN THERE!" the trooper calls out and begins firing on them.

Annali returns to fire and luckily fires a shot into his face, silencing him. Annali and Gracer continue firing up as Cerebrus troopers gather at the edge, taking cover from their fire. Annali and Gracer turn to watch where they're going but see Joey is already far ahead of them, "How can he move with all that stuff he's carrying on him?" Annali asks, surprised he could haul ass so quick.

"When you can't see the enemy you do some crazy shit! Watch it!" Gracer shoves her to the side as a missile flies right in between them and explodes into a tree, "Holy fuck! We better catch up with Joey!" Gracer shouts as he clips his rifle to his back and goes into a full sprint. Annali doesn't hesitate and she clips her M8 to her back. She pushes her legs harder than she had ever thought possible and together the two eventually catch up with Joey, the charges in his bag were bouncing and making so much clatter it was easy to point out their location to the enemy.

"How far are we?" Annali shouts.

"27 meters, we're nearly there!" Gracer shouts.

*BOOM*

Missiles flew overhead, going into trees and obliterating them, they luckily concealed their exact position but it didn't stop the rain. Dirt flew in the air and peppered them with each explosion. Annali took a grenade from her belt and times the detonation sequence, just before the last second went down she chucked it as hard as she could, and just as she'd expected the grenade explodes and wipes out the Cerberus pursuers. They were nearly there, she just hoped Young was waiting and hadn't made his escape without them. Luckily, he was waiting for them as they hid against the wall, "What the hell did you do?" Young shouted angrily.

"I don't know, what did 'you' do, huh?" Annali turns to Joey, staring at him with impatient eyes.

"Whatever, give me the charges," Young takes the bag from Joey as he runs to a separate section of the wall.

"What are you doing?" We have to place these here for when we come back, we'll catch them off guard before our men can get here. Get one and place them away from each other," Young orders as he runs to one side. The plan made sense but they were running out of time.

Despite her doubts, she did what he said and followed the plan; taking two charges with her she ran back a few feet and placed a charge, turning the dial and locking it. The rest of the squad followed suit and starting setting the remaining five charges, spreading them out wide and far apart from one another. Annali placed her last one and turned the dial but it only stopped midway before it could make its full 180-degree turn, " _Come on- come on, turn…"_ she tried turning it back and then proceeded to make the full turn again but it only jammed halfway.

"Veren we have to go!" Young shouts.

"This one won't turn!" Annali shouts back.

Young pushes Annali to the side and tries to turn it but is met with the same problem as well, "Damn, you join the rest of the squad while I try and fix this," Young tells her.

"We're leaving together, no one gets left behind, we'll wait," Annali refuses.

"That's admirable of you but they're already prepping their ground forces to kill us all. Get to the shuttle, I'll be right behind you, don't worry," Young states as he goes back to the device, "GO!" he yells.

Annali hesitates but if they didn't leave they would be at risk of capture or get killed, "We'll wait for you at the shuttle!" Annali tells him.

"Don't stop for anything! Not even me! If I don't get there before you do then leave without me, you need to get that intel to the Admiral. It's our only chance at destroying this base, MOVE!" Young orders.

Annali gives him a quick salute then runs to rejoin the squad, "Isn't he coming?" Gracer asks as a Cerberus shuttle passes overhead.

"He'll be right behind us, we have to get out of the black zone so we can contact the shuttle for extraction," Annali explains. The squad runs in between the trees as Cerberus shuttles fly overhead, searching for them. But it didn't take long as one them finally spotted them running through an opening. Fire then came back to pummel the squad as the shuttle's guns tore up the ground around them, " _Not again,"_ Annali became frustrated as they got spotted. The squad was moving around in a zig-zag fashion trying to avoid the gunfire, it was raining hard as Cerberus troops fired from the sides.

"How do we know when we're out of the black zone?" Gracer asks.

"When we see the shuttle we passed by on our way that's how we'll know!" Annali tells him. They find the trail of footprints left by Cromwell and follow it to the edge of the cloaking field, passing it, they look behind them to see the shuttle shoot out and fly overhead.

"Shit, they just don't let up do they?!" Joey shouts, narrowly dodging a bullet.

"We shouldn't be far now, once we pass the shuttle we'll be out of the zone!" Annali shouts.

*BOOM*

A missile lands and explodes dangerously close to Annali, causing her to stumble and fall, Gracer quickly picks her up by the arm, "Come on, we're nearly there, I can see the blue," Gracer shouts over.

The squad nears the shuttle and passes the trail of bootprints as the shuttle comes into full view, "Get in so we can..."

*BOOM*

The Cerberus shuttle destroys the shuttle as it zooms overhead Annali and begins to turn toward them, "It's coming back, take cover!" Gracer shouts. But they were out in the open and getting to cover would be near impossible, "Pilot, where are you?" Gracer shouts. The shuttle goes full speed toward them, its guns locked on them and ready to fire, "PILOT?!"

" _ **Right here!"**_

*PLOOM*

The shuttles midsection explodes, incinerating its occupants and splitting it in half, the shuttle falls and crashes into the trees. The blue Alliance shuttle soars overhead, its guns smoking hot, _**"You guys tend to make a ruckus don't you?"**_ the pilot asks.

"We don't have time to chat, we have more enemy contacts incoming," Annali tells the pilot as it lands. The doors open and the pilot emerges with an M8, covering the remaining squad so they could enter.

"I could see them as I was circling around, where's the Lieutenant?" the pilot asks.

Annali turns around, desperately looking for Young but there was no sign of him, "He said he would be right behind us… we have to wait for him…" Annali takes out her M8.

"We can't stay here, there are too many hostiles, if we sit here we risk getting blown to bits. We have to rejoin the fleet," the pilot tells her.

"Is there something else going on?" Annali asks.

"I lost comms with the Kilimanjaro, I couldn't go check since I didn't know when you would be back," the pilot explains.

*PWING*

A bullet crashes into the shuttles hull, startling the pilot, "They're here, we're taking off now!" the pilot goes into his cockpit.

"Hold on, we can't leave, not without…" Annali takes another glance down the forest and notices something moving quickly between the trees; it was Young and he had a wave of white tailing behind him, "I see him, he's close!" Annali shouts.

"He better get here quickly, I'm detecting multiple inbound ships coming from the west," the pilot informs. The shuttle rises above the ground slowly, Annali quickly gets on and watches as Young jumps over dead trees in his way, he was dodging bullets left and right. As he got closer, she realized he was yelling something.

"Pilot, take off, NOW!" Young shouts.

" _ **Copy sir!"**_ the pilot wastes no time to pull the shuttle.

The shuttle was getting higher and higher, ultimately getting too high above the ground for Young to even grab the ledge. Annali gets on the floor and extends an arm down for Young to grab as he nears them, "GRAB ON!" she shouts. Young sprints harder and jumps, his hand meets hers and the two latch on to each other's wrist, "Hold on!" Annali struggles to pull him up but with them getting higher and higher, gravity was making things much more difficult.

Just then an extra arm reached down and grabs Young by the forearm, it was Gracer, "On 3, 1...2…3!" Together, Annali and Gracer pull Young up all the way in and Annali seals the doors.

"Take us out of here, now!" Annali shouts.

"Copy that," the shuttle turns just as an entire task force of Cerberus troops emerge from the forest. The shuttle quickly rises and breaks for the clouds, "Heading back to the Kilimanjaro, ETA 5 minutes," the pilot informs.

Annali is left lying on the floor, breathing heavily along with Young who's left sprawled out all over the floor. She couldn't believe he managed to survive, it all just seemed so unreal he managed to avoid their fire and get to the shuttle in the nick of time, "That was one hell of a run you made there," Annali compliments under heavy breath.

Young breathes heavily and gulps before responding, "I *huff* never *huff* in my life *huff* thought *huff* I would make it out *huff* alive," Young says under labored breath, he was also in disbelief.

"A story to tell the kids, huh?" Annali asks.

"Most definitely… hoo boy," Young nods in agreement.

"Though the wife is definitely going to be all out Drama Queen, right?" Gracer asks with a chuckle.

"Heh, I'll be looking forward to that," Young slowly gets up, "Pilot, can you get the Kilimanjaro on comms?" Young asks.

"Haven't been able to, sir; comms seem to be down for some reason, maybe because they are still repairing the relays. I'll try to get them on," the pilot explains. Young nods and finds a seat, leaning his head back to relax.

"Makes sense, what with the damage done from the inside I guess they wouldn't be as stable," Young states.

Annali nods in agreement. She takes the time to relax after the intense day they just had, scouting the base, discovering the cloaking field, finding the base, and then making the run for their lives. It was indeed a story to tell if she makes it out alive that is. She was a bit cheerful that they had found the base but that would mean there was one thing left to do. Siege. Of course, she was in full support of the plan but the fact that they completely blew their cover meant Cerberus was going to be ready for them. In order for the plan to go successfully, they needed to take out the Cloaking generator that hid the base, that way they would know what to hit. But 'how' was the question. Annali then realized she was still tense and she hadn't relaxed in the slightest. They were one step closer to completing the mission, they had the intel they needed to bring down the Cerberus presence on Chasca, but what sacrifices were going to be made? No one would be ready but they would be willing to get the job done, even if it meant their lives. Annali wasn't sure she was ready to make that sort of commitment anymore, it's a selfish thought in Turian standards; when someone was born they were taught to give their lives to the Hierarchy in any way possible, whether it be through military service, economics, political science, etc. If you were in the military you were highly expected to sacrifice yourself for the greater good, but now Annali wasn't sure as to what the 'greater good' was anymore. This whole human culture about democracy and getting to choose what you wanted to be was something she was both unfamiliar but familiar at the same time. The Asari Government was very similar to that of the Humans but there were some differences that weren't very monumental in their version.

Annali was veering off topic again and she realized that. She knew it would eventually go to Max once again for having taught her Human culture and such. Things seemed to be getting better but there was still some salt on the wound that needed to be cleaned up, she wanted to believe things were getting better, they had to. It was all she hoped for.

"You alright there, Veren?" Young's voice snaps her out of her train of thought.

Annali blinks a few times and looks to Young, "Y-yeah, just… a lot on my head now. Nothing much," she says.

"Battle still fresh in your mind?" he asks.

"I guess you could say that," she answers.

Young nods understandingly and leans his head forward, "I hope you're not one of those people who get PTSD, am I right?" he asks.

The acronym rung familiarity in her head, she heard Max say it once and what it meant. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Once she remembered, it raised another question for her, "Why does it matter, you think I can't handle a fight?" she asks a bit accusingly.

"I have no doubt you can, I'm just asking is all," Young tries to explain.

"Lieutenant, I have incoming transmissions coming from the Kilimanjaro," the pilot informs him.

"Good, let's hear it," Young stands up and walks into the cabin.

"Um, the thing is… the transmissions are a bit altered. I have two coming from the Kilimanjaro but both act on separate codes," the pilot tries to explain.

"What do you mean, separate codes, shouldn't they be the same?" Young asks.

"They should but one is the common code while the other is a replicant but slightly altered as if someone was trying to copy it but tried not to plagiarize. Though, I would actually refrain from the last part since it looks like the last one was heavily edited to make it look like the original," the pilot explains.

Annali hears this and walks into the cockpit, curious, "What is this about the transmissions?" she asks.

"We have two different ones coming from the same source, did you think of listening to them?" Young asks the pilot.

"I did, you couldn't hear since it was in my earpiece. I'll play it for you," the pilot pulls up a separate holographic screen and plays the message, "This is the original one…"

" _ **]noissimsnart fo dnE[ !WON ,LTF OT SU TEG *BOOM* -elbissop sa noos sa uoy ot kcab teg ot yrt lliw eW .snoitcurtsni ruo edih ot desrever neeb sah egassem sihT .elbissop sa noos sa su tcatnoC .ti rof llaf ton oD .meht ot uoy ediug ot gniyrt spart tiab surebreC era edoc ni ralimis kool taht uoy ot edam snoissimsnart ynA .seitlausac draobno diova ot detaerter evah dna sresiurc surebreC elpitlum htiw degagne era ew ;su rof kool TON od ,siht gniraeh era uoy fI,"**_ a garbled message plays out with the sound of a yelling and an explosion. Something wasn't right.

"What the hell was that?" Young asks.

"I don't know, but as soon as it arrived another message arrived shortly after, it was marked urgent. Here's the second transmission…" he plays it.

" _ **This is the Kilimanjaro, sorry for the earlier message, we've been having complications with the Communications relays and have just finished making repairs. Meet us at these coordinates, we will be waiting for your arrival [End of transmission]"**_ Young's brows furrow in suspicion toward the message.

"Doesn't sound like the bridge at all, there should be some chatter in the background. Sounds like it was recorded in a room or something," Young says.

"Well, it came with the navpoints to the rendezvous, it has to mean something," the pilot says.

"I don't know, proceed to the rendezvous, maybe it really is just bad relays," Young tells him. The pilot nods and alters course, all the while, Annali was suspicious about the previous recording.

The voice sounded familiar but with the static jumbling around it was hard to tell what was being said. Annali felt there was more to it but how can you get anything from that? "Can I hear the previous message again?" Annali asks.

"Sure," the pilot replays the message.

" _ **]noissimsnart fo dnE[ !WON ,LTF OT SU TEG *MOOB* -elbissop sa noos sa uoy ot kcab teg ot yrt lliw eW .snoitcurtsni ruo edih ot desrever neeb sah egassem sihT .elbissop sa noos sa su tcatnoC .ti rof llaf ton oD .meht ot uoy ediug ot gniyrt spart tiab surebreC era edoc ni ralimis kool taht uoy ot edam snoissimsnart ynA .seitlausac draobno diova ot detaerter evah dna sresiurc surebreC elpitlum htiw degagne era ew ;su rof kool TON od ,siht gniraeh era uoy fI,"**_ the voice then rang familiarity again. It sounded fluent but she couldn't make out anything that actually gave a clue to a Human word.

"Can you rewind it, I want to hear it again," Annali asks the pilot.

"Sure, we're approaching the navpoint anyways," the pilot says as the shuttle nears the navpoint.

As the message begins to rewind, Annali hears a word quickly zip by, _**"Do not- eoinfsdjoan,"**_

"Whoa, wait, did you hear that?" Annali asks.

"You heard it too?" Young asks as well. They had heard the same thing, "Rewind it from the start and this time have it play slowly," Young instructs.

…

" _ **If you are hearing this, do NOT look for us; we are engaged with multiple Cerberus cruisers and have retreated to avoid onboard casualties-"**_ Max's voice states. It sounded as though they were in the middle of the battle.

"Lieutenant, I'm picking up multiple massive objects just ahead," The pilot informs as the transmission continues.

" _ **Any transmissions made to you that look similar in code are Cerberus bait traps trying to guide you to them. Do not go to it. Contact us as soon as possible. This message has been reversed to hide our instructions. We will try to get back to you as soon as possible- *BOOM* GET US TO FTL, NOW! [End of transmission]"**_ it ends quickly with Max shouting orders to escape. The fleet was in trouble if it meant jumping to FTL.

"Oh shit, Pilot divert path away from-" before he could finish, the shuttle emerges from the clouds and comes face to face with four Cerberus cruisers. They were waiting for them, "Pilot, get us the hell out of here!" Young shouts.

The pilot wastes no time and violent jerks the shuttle to the left and just in time as a round from the cruiser zips by. Soon, the cruiser begins firing on them as the pilot maneuvers away from the Cerberus fleet in the opposite direction. The cruisers were in hot pursuit as they fired on the shuttle, the pilot kept juking the line of fire as best he could but they weren't going to last long, "Crap, he tried to warn us, he knew they would try and bait us to them," Young says as he holds onto the backseat of the pilot.

"We have to get a distress signal out to him now," Annali tells him.

"We don't even know if they're still alive," Young tells her, holding on tightly as the shuttle rumbles.

"I know Tereshkova, he's smart and he'll take every precaution to ensure the safety of the fleet. He's still out there we just need to let him know we're here," Annali tells him. Young breathes a heavy sigh and sits down in the co-pilots seat.

"Alright, opening a channel," Young proceeds to make one, the shuttle's sudden movements making it hard to get anything done but he manages, "Alright, we have it. This is the Alliance shuttle assigned to mission 34B67 to the Kilimanjaro, do you read?! We are in need of immediate assistance, under heavy Cerberus fire, I repeat, under heavy Cerberus fire, over?!" Young calls out. Static remerges as they wait for a response. Annali was afraid Young premonition was right, they couldn't be alone by themselves, not now. He had to be alive, she knew him, he was smart and he would do anything to keep his comrades alive. Max wouldn't let up that easy.

*zzkt*

…

" _ **YOUNG IS THAT YOU?!"**_ Max's voice booms through the comms, bringing a great relief to everyone on the shuttle.

"Yes, it's us, we're being chased by a Cerberus fleet, about four cruisers tailing us, I don't think we'll last long without help!" Young tells Max.

" _ **We just dealt with the bulk of their fleet, give us a moment to pinpoint your location, we'll be there shortly, just keep talking,"**_ Max explains.

"How big was the fleet?" Annali asks.

 _ **They caught us by surprise, there were too many to count so I had to order an emergency jump to light speed. I'll have to explain later, we nearly have your position,"**_ Max tells her.

"You have to hurry, their shots are getting better, I won't be able to outmaneuver them for long now," the pilot tells him.

" _ **Just hold on, we nearly have it,"**_ Max assures them.

*BOOM*

"SHIT! ONE ALMOST GOT US, IT'S NOW OR NEVER!" the pilot jerks the shuttle right.

" _ **Hold on, we have your position! Helmsman, jump to FTL! (Aye, sir!) We'll be there momen- *zzkt*"**_ the comm cuts suddenly before Max could finish.

The cruisers continue firing on the shuttle, little by little, their shots become more accurate and hone in on the shuttle. The line fire restricting the shuttles area of movement, "Keep pulling off your maneuvers, pilot," Young tells him.

"I can't keep this up forever, they're making a cone around us, I can't outrun them-"

*BOOM*

An explosion goes off on the right side of the shuttle, rocking the cabin violently. Annali nearly stumbles and falls but manages to keep her footing. The shuttle was rocking constantly, threatening to tear itself apart if they didn't get out soon. Annali could see the pilot move the controls in all sorts of directions, he was doing everything in his ability to avoid getting them blown into space. It didn't take a genius to figure out they were running out of places to run and they were getting cornered too fast.

"Argh! I can't keep it together anymore!"

" _ **Shuttle, DIVE, NOW!"**_ Max's voice sounds over the comms.

"What?" the pilot asks.

" _ **DO IT, WE'RE COMING IN HOT!"**_ Just as he finishes his sentence, the Kilimanjaro jumps into existence right in front of them.

"WHOA!" the pilot jams the controls down and causes the shuttle to dive down sharply. Annali loses her footing and falls, she quickly regains her balance and watches out of the view of the cockpit as the Trianis and Victrition emerge from FTL and join the fight with Max. The Kilimanjaro begins firing as it passes in between the two Cerberus cruisers, quickly cutting them down from the bridge down to the base and then refocusing on the remaining two to which the Trianis and Victrition both lend their firepower as well, quickly dismantling the fleet in mere seconds.

"Now, that's one hell of a blitzkrieg, I'll tell you that, Oorah!" Young cheers as they watch the fleet get obliterated. Annali notices the Trianis and the Kilimanjaro are both scarred in black scorch marks, the Victrition looked in even worse condition; they couldn't see the top side but a plume of smoke was billowing out from the side on the left, they must have been taken completely by surprise.

But Annali was more relieved to know they were okay, their timing couldn't have been more perfect, all that was needed was to get to the Kilimanjaro and find out what had happened while they were gone, "Kilimanjaro, is it safe to dock, now?" the pilot asks.

" _ **Yes, you are cleared to dock, I want officers Veren and Young at the bridge as soon as possible for assessment,"**_ Max tells them.

"Copy, we'll dock quickly and provide any aid that is required," the pilot then takes the shuttle into dock. As they near the Kilimanjaro, the damage then becomes much clearer as they make their approach; the Kilimanjaro was littered with scorch marks and a few minor fires but it was enough to say she was definitely hurt, "Oh, baby, what have they done to you?" the pilot looks at up towards the scars on the underbelly, shaking his head sorrowfully.

As the shuttle docked and finally relaxed, the team gathered together in the main cabin. Young was the first to speak, "Another mission ventured, another mission accomplished, good job, Men. Put your gear away and help out with the ship however way you can, I'm afraid dinner will have to wait until later. Pilot, you do your thing and help with the ship, she needs tending to," Young orders.

"Aye, sir," the pilot responds.

"Joey, I want a copy of your recordings sent to me right now as me and Veren head to the bridge," Young orders.

"Yes, sir, I'll get right on that," Joey then goes to work immediately.

"Good, dismissed," Young then guides Annali out of the shuttle, "We have to hurry to the bridge, I just wonder how bad the situation is right now," Young says.

Annali nods in agreement, a lot had happened while they were gone, so much chaos had erupted in the past two days and now this was nearly the epitome of everything going wrong. That's what Annali thought but she knew there was always a way to rebound from tough times, they would find a way.

As they made their way to the bridge, Annali watched as crewmembers ran back and forth to mend the wounds of the Kilimanjaro. Some were injured and laid to rest on the wall as the medics tended to them. She had no doubt the very same thing was happening in both the Trianis and Victrition as well. Especially the Victrition. She felt lucky that they were spared of the chaos at least but at the same time, she felt as though she could have helped a lot had she been here, "This intel better be worth it," Young mutters.

"What do you mean?" Annali asks.

"Sorry, just my bad side getting to me. I mean, look at everyone, you saw the ship too and how badly they damaged her. I think we would have been more helpful if we were up here than down there," Young suggests.

"I know where you're getting at but if we weren't down there then we would have never discovered the base. This is the last bit we need to end Cerberus's experiments once and for all. We're one step closer to ending this," Annali tells him with optimism.

"And then we can all go home," Young nearly dreams about it, a warm smile creeping up on his face.

"You have family on Earth?" Annali asks.

"Yeah, wasn't born there but I moved when I was deployed and assigned there. Found my love, settled down, had a kid and am living the life I always wanted. My dad was a Veteran in the First Contact War with your people, helped retake the planet, he told me stories of his travels everywhere around the cosmos. It made me want to find the same adventure he had, unfortunately, it had to be this one," Young says as they split apart to let a few crewmembers by, "You have family back home? Wherever it is you come from- sorry, didn't mean to say it that way," he quickly apologizes.

"It's fine, and yes I do but nothing like a husband or a child, I just live with my father and my older siblings on Palaven. We work a lot outside away from home so we don't usually see each other for a few weeks or even months, years even," Annali explains.

"Seems like a lot of no seeing each other, you guys still keep in touch?" he asks.

"We do, occasionally when we have the time, me; I really don't talk to them much since I work in the military, I'm always busy even as a Liaison… officer…" Annali trails off as she says it.

Young catches something in her tone when she goes quiet, "I hear you've been giving our boys some work on the Trianis, keeping 'em busy, am I right?" he nudges her arm.

Annali smiles faintly, "Heh, yeah, everybody has something to do, even during relaxation periods there really isn't much time for rest. It's what makes everyone crave sleep so much, to finally relax after a long days work," Annali explains.

"And this is one hell of a long-ass day, once this is over, I think I'll go to my favorite bar, take a few shots, maybe more, get drunk, find my way home and maybe find a place to sleep," Young says.

"Maybe you should just go home, no reason to go through all this and then die somewhere in an Alley," Annali suggests.

"Or that," Young's wrist then pulses orange repeatedly, activating it he sees the map of the Cerberus base.

" _ **This is the fully rendered model, sir. Took longer than expected but here it is,"**_ Joey's voice states.

"Thanks, we'll show it to the Admiral, Young out," Young closes the comms and looks toward Annali, "Let's hope the Admiral is keen on taking the fight to them," Young hopes. After looking at the extensive damage to the fleet, he wasn't very optimistic the other captains would agree with their plan.

Annali was aware of his concern and ironically was having the same thoughts, "Let's hope," she says as they enter the bridge.

"Oh crap," Young mumbles as he glances around the room, the bridge had taken some damage as well, there scorch marks from where the fire had blasted out from the walls. Sparks and wires were hanging from the ceiling as well as the metal sheets that were supposed to hold them in. Max was under the Holo-display table his lower half laid out, "Admiral, we're here with the intel," Young states.

"Hold on," a few clicks and snaps go off inside the table and suddenly the table comes to life, the anatomy of the Kilimanjaro appears with several color-coded areas symbolizing critical damage, "Well, now we know what modules need fixing. Colson, get teams down to the stabilizers so we don't go top side," max orders.

"Yes, sir."

"Sorry, Lieutenant, we got ambushed out of nowhere and we had to retreat into FTL. We tried getting a message out to warn you but we didn't want them to know about you. You guys got the message, right?" Max asks.

"We did, luckily I played in reverse and then we found out what was going on," Annali explains.

"At least you're all okay, nobody was injured?" Max asks.

"Had a close call but yes, we're fine. No one was wounded or killed, except maybe for a few marshmallows," Young states.

"Marsh… mellows?" Annali was confused, she had never heard that word before.

"The Cerberus troopers, their armor was colored white so they resemble a human snack," Young clarifies.

"Huh," Annali nods in understanding.

"Anyways, do you have something for me, or rather, us?" Max asks.

"Us?" Young asks.

"The Captains, Young…" Max clarifies.

"Well, yeah, of course, we do, right here," Young reveals the Cerberus map to Max. Max's eyes widen in astonishment as he looks upon the massive structure in the middle.

"This is going to complicate things way more," Max says.

"Don't worry we have a plan, or rather, an idea on how to get in. What we did was-"

"Save it for when Caepraka and Linnius get here, they want to know what you've gathered planet-side," Max explains.

"They're coming on board?" Annali asks.

"Yep, they'll be arriving shortly so what I want you two do is-"

"Max, tell me you have something," Linnius's voice cuts Max off.

"That's… fucking fast," Max looks past Annali. Linnius and Caepraka were accompanied by a couple Turian soldiers as well as an Alliance crewmember to guide them.

"Well, when your ship is nearly scalped of its hull one would hope their 'friend' has a plan, right?" Linnius stops just next to Max.

"I was hoping to get a plan ready but-"

"I meant them, Veren, what did you find out?" Linnius turns to Annali.

Annali was a bit agitated towards her straight-forwardness but she would rather not get into an argument, "It wasn't just me, a few Alliance soldiers also helped to find this Cerberus base," Annali explains.

"So you found something?" Caepraka asks as she joins the circle.

"We did, Young, show them," Annali looks to Young.

"Here, let me put it on the Holo-display," Young pulls up his Omni-tool and walks toward the table as does everyone else, Linnius and Caepraka were eager to see what they had uncovered. Young pulls up the schematic and drags it over to the table to which the display then makes a bigger 3-dimensional image of the massive Cerberus base. Linnius and Caepraka's eyes widen as they look at the massive base; there were AA guns stationed everywhere including the tower, it was fortress meant for no outsiders to enter.

"Spirits behold, it's… massive…" Linnius whispers, her eyes scanned ever little detail of the base.

"As you can see they have AA's pointed in nearly every direction as well as probably a hangar bay from which to launch fighters to intercept any smaller craft from approaching. This is indeed the base we've been looking for," Young explains. Annali watched Linnius and Caepraka observe the model but then saw Max watching them too, apparently, he wanted to see their reactions as well.

After a long moment of silence, Linnius's head started shaking in disbelief, "Please tell me you have something…" she asks dreadfully.

"We do have an idea but we need some more time to plan if-"

"Young man, my ship is falling apart, if you don't have a plan-"

"Linnius, calm yourself, let him explain his idea, we may be able to work off of it," Caepraka cuts her off.

Linnius closes her eyes and takes a deep breath to calm herself but it seemed to only tone down her temper just a small notch. Her eyes open and she looks at Young, "What do you have in mind?" she asks.

"Before we discovered the structure we came across what seemed like a Cloaking field, one that was much more advanced than our current tech. This field didn't alter itself if anything crossed into it, whatever does cross into it vanishes just like that," he snaps his fingers. The model zooms down on the location to where they first encountered the field, "It was probably 50 to 60 meters from the wall, from there, we encountered it; a wall about 120+ ft. tall, kinetically shielded, and very durable by the looks of it," Young explains.

"That's way too big to scale, is there an entrance we can exploit?" Caepraka asks.

"No entrance, I believe they come in and out via shuttles, thus the landing pads scattered everywhere and the hangar bay in the tower," Young explains.

"Do you have an idea as to how we can get through? Say if we decide to attack from the ground and include all of our assets, how are you going to get through the wall to take out those AA guns. They need to be taken care of before we get any closer," Linnius lays it out for him.

Annali then starts explaining, "In case we do attack, we have to attack from the west side of the compound; we attached several charges on the wall that'll definitely blow straight through it and eliminate any buildings behind it, also destroying the guns on that side of the wall. This way our ground forces can get into the compound and work their way to the rest of the guns and take them out. Once the guns on the west side are taken care of the Trianis and Victrition can make their approach on the base and provide aerial support," she explains.

"Exactly," Young confirms.

Linnius's face had not changed, her face still had doubt, "I have one question, how are we able to provide support if this cloaking field is shielding our target from view. I'm doubtful our forces can get all the way into the tower without our support, the guns on the tower will definitely wipe you out before you can get near halfway," Linnius asks. Young and Annali then look at each other, they hadn't thought about the field. How where are they going to get close enough to the tower without losing enough men to try and storm the tower? Linnius was right about the guns, they would make quick work of them if they weren't taken care of immediately. And there were too many AA guns protecting the tower so the shuttles wouldn't be able to get near enough to take them out.

"We… hadn't thought about it…" Annali admits sadly.

"We haven't thought so far as that, as I said we're still in the works," Young explains.

Max leaned closer to the model, he saw the distance it would take to get past the cloaking field and then to the wall. The problem came down to the invisible wall that hid the base from the outside world. No one could see it and make an accurate shot, no one could risk friendly fire. If only they could somehow disable it without even touching it.

"If only we had an EMP device with us then maybe we could knock it out," Caepraka chimes in.

Then Max's eyes went wide as something suddenly clicked in his head, "Wait a minute…" he whispers.

"What?" Caepraka asks.

Max doesn't say anything for a while until he then takes control of the holo-display, zooming it out and then adjust its angle. The group watched as Max fiddled with the projection, his mind trying to fix up something unbeknownst to them, "What are you doing?" Caepraka asks.

"Making a game changer," Max tells her as he zooms the planet out and brings the Kilimanjaro to a separate point in space away from the planet, his finger trailing a small dotted line from the ship towards the surface of the planet.

"What do you mean?" Annali asks.

"Wait for just a second," Max tweaks the model a few more times before finally finishing, "There, that's our solution," he says.

"Would you care to explain, I would like to be amazed as well," Linnius crosses her arms.

"Starting from the top, this is what we'll do; the Trianis and Victrition will make their descent down to the planet, you'll pilot the cruisers close to the base as much as possible. At this point, I expect them to start firing on you, you will not retaliate, instead, you'll keep your shields up and become the distraction so the shuttles carrying our ground forces can make a safe descent down and deploy them. Annali and Lt. Young will direct ground forces toward the field and get them close to the wall. The charges will (hopefully) get through the wall and eliminate the AA guns. Now, this is the part where you'll probably vote against me…" Max says before he reveals his plan, earning disgusted looks from both Caepraka and Linnius.

"I'll vote against you if you don't tell us," Linnius mumbles.

"What Caepraka said about not having an EMP is not true, we have one. Or rather, we can make one," Max begins to explain. Everyone grows curious as to what Max had meant.

"What do you mean we can make one?" Caepraka asks.

"By piloting the Kilimanjaro at these exact coordinates through FTL," Max then activates the simulation which shows the Kilimanjaro disappearing from its position and then reappearing just over the Cerberus base.

"You want to WHAT?! That's impossible, to do that would require pin-point accuracy and full knowledge of the planets gravitational pull once you enter the atmosphere. If you emerge from FTL in-surface you'll…" Linnius stops suddenly. Annali could nearly see the gears turning in her head, apparently, she had figured out what Max intended. She looks at Max, her eyes spelling realization, "You'll disable the shield, then…"

"What?" Caepraka asks, completely oblivious to Max's plan.

"I understand what he wants to do; with every jump to FTL, a ship leaves behind a burst of radiation that could knock out power on any devices nearby. But that's only if the ship's countermeasures are deactivated then the radiation can fly out and corrupt any electronic device. Our countermeasures keep the radiation from creating an EMP, to disable it would mean the radiation is free to spread miles across the surface of a planet. You can cause blackouts throughout an entire continent if the ship is large enough, thus why he wants the Kilimanjaro to fly in at such a low distance from the surface," Linnius explains.

"Exactly, once the Kilimanjaro emerges from FTL, the AA guns will be disabled and so will the field. From that point on, the Kilimanjaro will lend aid and destroy the remaining guns. All that will be left is the tower; we'll make our siege as quickly as possible and put an end to their experiments," Max explains.

"Wait, what do you mean, you're going down there too?" Annali asks.

"I am, I'll be a part of the ground force taking the fight to their soon-to-be doorstep. Lt. Smith will have the con while I help direct the assault, once all assets are in place we'll begin the attack. However…" Max trails off. Annali sees some conflict in his eyes, he isn't sure of something.

"What's wrong?" she asks.

"I'm not sure our troops will have the morale or the energy to go through with this. The attack seriously damaged our infrastructure and our chain of command is small, not many people left to lead whole platoons," Max explains.

"Then start promoting some people," Linnius tells him. Max looks at her, "If not then perhaps some of our officers can lend some leadership," she suggests.

"Not sure they'll be fond of that, relations are still salty," Max tries to explain.

"They are fighting for their fallen comrades, for the actions Cerberus has committed on the innocent people of the Kilimanjaro, the people who fought and died to protect this ship. The ones who fought to protect their family. Their home. The Kilimanjaro," a few crewmen overhear her, they stand as she speaks, "A family made of men and women who have called this vessel… their home. Don't think, for once, that just because Cerberus got the drop on you that they will be discouraged. No. If anything, Cerberus just did your crew one hell of a solid… they got you riled up," she gives a wry smile as she softly slaps his arm. But in a good way. The crew around them chuckle as well, giving each other slaps on the back, some even started cracking their knuckles. Max looks behind him, he saw the look in their eyes, they wanted payback.

Max looks back towards Linnius and nods, "DIdn't think you were the inspirer," he says.

"Neither did I," Caepraka agrees.

"Well, I have my moments too. Now, Admiral…" LInnius extends an arm toward the door, "I think you should talk to your crew," she tells him. Max had feeling this was coming, the plan would go through but possibly not as well. Right now, he needed to motivate his crew, his troops, his family through a road that some may not come back from. He needed to try.

Max nods slowly and takes a deep breath, "Lt. Young, make a ship-wide meeting in the hangar bay, get Lt. Smith, Sgt. Rudy and Rios briefed on the plan… *sigh* let's see if they're up for it," Max begins to walk toward the doors before Linnius calls out to him.

"Tereshkova, it's not about if they're up for it… it's about what you want them to do," she reminds him, "In the meantime, I will have your message broadcast to my ship as I believe maybe they need some of your 'motivation' as well," she says before looking to Annali, "Can you do that?"

"Yes, Captain," Annali responds.

Max gives a nod and continues walking past the doors, his mind was racing with ideas on how to motivate his men. This was something Colt was always used to doing but he was entirely new to this, he hadn't really talked in front of a few hundred or even a thousand people all at once. He needed to calm his mind, think clearly, remember what Linnius had said, " _Shouldn't be too hard… Colt did this all the time."_

20 minutes later…

" _Except, I'm not Colt…"_ Max gazed at the entirety of the hangar bay, nearly everyone had gathered into the bay to hear what he had to say. So many faces were fixed on him, everyone was curious, everyone was eager. He could see the heads of everyone in front of him, he wished he could have stayed in the elevator. But how could he, Annali and Lt. Smith wouldn't even let him turn around, he had to this. Lt. Young stood at the front, he had managed to gather everyone into the hangar, mostly the soldiers but he got just about everyone inside.

Lt. Young then stepped forward, "Admiral, you wanted to give a speech?" he announces. Everyone's eyes were fixated on him.

"Uh, yeah, I did- I mean I do," Max began walking toward the middle of the hangar, the crowd of soldiers and crewmembers splitting and creating a path for him. Annali and Smith followed him as he walked toward a pile of crates that were left lying scattered on the floor. Max picked them up and assembled them to form a makeshift footstool. Carefully, Max got on and slowly stood up, he didn't want to get dizzy and fall. That would just ruin the moment. Regardless, he stood above everyone, their eyes focused up on him, he could almost feel their gazes burning into his soul. Max wasn't sure what it was but his stomach felt fluttery as if butterflies were crashing on all sides of his stomach.

Annali saw his delay, he was nervous, she knew he didn't like speaking out in public. It was something that gave him panic attacks when he was little and it showed today. Max caught her eyes and the two were fixed on each other, Annali wordlessly told him, " _Go on…"_ she nodded her head for him to face everyone.

Max's only thought on how to start it off was, "I'm sorry… I'm sorry for not being able to prevent the attack on the Kilimanjaro; so many people had died in just a few minutes, so many friends lost to strangers, so much family lost to our own. I wish I could have done more, I really do. My decisions have hurt so many families, I couldn't save everyone. I won't let my job be an excuse to hide my sense of morality, but all I was doing was following orders I thought were the right things…" Max slowly turned to face the other side. His face read the emotions of pain and guilt, all he could do was admit to everything, even if it was against his protocol, "Instead, it only led me to more pain and I blinded myself into believing that everything I was told to do was for the greater good. But now I see that some things just need to broken, regardless if it doesn't make sense. I'm an N6, or rather, an N7. I've been solely trained to keep secrets from everyone…" Max looks down towards Annali, "Including my friends," he turns back to everyone.

Annali saw he was spilling himself out, she saw what he had wanted to all this time, she saw what he was asking. Forgiveness.

"I wish I could have done more, so many familiar faces would still be here had I actually done something. I intend on doing something for once," Max pauses momentarily before speaking in a much firmer tone, "A few hours ago I sent a Recon team to scout for the traitor; Cromwell. He was tracked heading west on the Northern continent before suddenly disappearing. Instead of finding the traitor, they instead found the Cerberus headquarters, their Base of Operations. The very place we've been looking for. We have come up with a plan on taking it, however, it could have been much easier had they not discovered our presence earlier. The Kilimanjaro is heavily damaged and so are our Turian allies. There's no guarantee they will be able to provide cover. The base is shielded with some sort Cloaking device, hence why we couldn't find them before. Our only chance at taking the base and destroying it is by launching an all-out assault on them. They will be prepared for us, I have no doubt they have every man guarding the perimeter," Max shakes his head sorrowfully and continues, a pained look in his eyes, "We have do not have the element of surprise anymore, we are ill-equipped to fight, a third of our manpower is gone and our ships are heavily damaged. I won't force you to fight but I will make this fair. All in favor of abandoning the mission, say aye!" Max raises his left arm. No one raises their arm, "All in favor of taking the fight to Cerberus, say Aye!" he then lifts his right arm and is greeted with a loud-

"AYE!" the hangar echoes with everyone's voice as practically everyone's arm raises up. Max is dumbfounded to see everyone want to fight.

"You can't all be serious? You can't fight now, not when we're so outmatched…" Max says as he looks around.

A female soldier then walks up to the pile of crates where Max stood and looks up at him, "Sir, with all due respect I lost a good friend not too long ago. I would rather fight for her than run on home and cry. I'm not going anywhere," she states. Then another crewmember steps up.

"I lost my brother in the first attack, I watched him die in my arms as I tried to save him. I ain't goin anywhere, Captain," the man states.

"I'm not going nowhere!"

"I'd rather fight!

"Count me in!

"Let's see what they can do!"

"Where's my gun!"

"Where they at?!"

The hangar fills with riled voices, eager to fight, no one wanted to leave, they wanted revenge and right now they were mad, _**"What did I say? They want to fight,"**_ LInnius's voice comes over the comm. Max turns around and sees Linnius standing on the balcony next to Caepraka and Sgt. Rios.

Max was astonished at the number of people eager to fight despite the odds that were against them, they had no plans of backing down, "Wow…" was all Max could say.

" **That isn't the half of it, listen to this… *tzzk* 'Let's get straight to shootin! I ain't backing down for shit! Tell me where they at, I'll shoot them myself! I'm with you!"** Multiple different voices go off in his ear, they were Turian, _**"Everyone wants to fight, Tereshkova. The question is, will you?"**_ Linnius asks.

Max turns away momentarily to look at the crew in the hangar, they were eager for a fight, all Max could do was smile, "SO, it's decided then…" his voice brings silence to the hangar, everyone's eyes fixed on him, "If you want a fight, THEN LET'S BRING IT TO THEM!" Max hollers.

"SIR, YES, SIR!" the hangar shouts back.

"Then what the hell are standing around for? GET YOUR REAR IN GEAR AND LOAD UP!" Lieutenant Young shouts. Everyone disperses in a hurry to get ready. The Marines were running into the armory to suit up while Sgt. Rudy approached Max.

"When's the assault?" he asks.

"For now, let this be a preparation period, let them get ready. I want you, Rios, and Young to mobilize everyone who can and will fight while I get the other Captains to mobilize their remaining forces. Rudy, I want you to get the Mako's ready for deployment and the shuttles prepped for launch," Max orders.

"Sir, yes, sir!" Rudy and Young both acknowledge.

Max steps down from the crates and makes his way to Annali, "Linnius and Caepraka are already getting their men ready. We'll have over 800+ men at the ready including yours once we're set," she states.

" _ **Definitely, we will be getting ready for the assault. In the meantime, calculate your FTL trajectory when it's time, I don't want to be left hanging in the open when we're under fire,"**_ Linnius tells him.

"I'll get right on that, besides, I know just the man who can help with that," Max assures her.

"And that is?" Annali asks.

[

"You want me to do what?" Chance was in disbelief as to what Max wanted him to do.

"Oh come on, it's really simple; you just need to time the ship to exit FTL at the right time and right angle so you can disable the cloaking field and fire on the base," Max says, patting his back.

"Max- Admiral, what you want me to do is not just impossible but downright dangerous; if I calculate wrong I'll send the ship either into the planet or I just miss completely. No one has ever done this before. I-I can't do this, this is way out of my expertise," Chance tries to explain.

"Chance, either way, we might die if you don't try. We need the Kilimanjaro to disable the field or else our ground forces are going to take a heavy beating and there's not enough men to guarantee a successful assault if we attack without disabling the shield. Which is why I'm asking you nicely because I wouldn't have the plan go the latter. I'm putting a lot of faith in you, Chance. Not just because I know you can do it but because you're the only capable of pulling it off," Max explains.

"Me?" Chance asks as Max guides him to the Holo-table.

"Yup, everyone's depending on you to bring the Kilimanjaro in to support us. You're our only chance at bringing us home," Max says as he brings up the planet model.

Chance looks at the model, eyeing it carefully, his eyes wandered everywhere. Max was hopeful he could do it, he only provided the idea, it was up to Chance to make it work. After a long while, Chance's head began to nod slowly, "I'll… do my best, Captain," Chance agrees.

"Thanks, I knew I could count on you. Get to work because we're moving soon, notify me when you're done," Max as he turns to exit the bridge and joins Annali.

"Wait, how soon?" Chance asks but Max is already out of earshot.

Max gives a breath of relief as he walks, "Thank god he agreed," Max says.

"I hope you exhausted all other options before choosing him," Annali says. She looks up at Max, his face giving her a dead give away, "Did you just choose him right off the bat?" she asks.

"Welllll… yes, I did. Listen, I've known him for a while now and I have complete faith in him-" Annali pushes her arm against Max, stopping him.

"Tereshkova, you do realize you're putting all our assets into a possible liability. Don't take me wrong, I know what he can do, he's a good man but you're putting us all in a dangerous position," Annali explains to him.

"Annali-"

"Veren!" Annali corrects him.

"Sorry, forgot, look I understand your concerns but you need to understand that we're out of options. I trust he can do it, I've given him the layout he just needs time to figure it out," Max explains.

Annali gives a frustrated grunt as she rubs her eyes in irritation, she wasn't fond of the idea. She didn't like how he worded his defense for him, he had this tendency to place his faith on someone without so much as considering other possible options. But then again, he's gotten this far in his career so how could she disregard it now? Annali shakes her head and looks up at Max, "I want to believe you, I do, I really do. But this is our one shot at taking Cerberus down, here at least. I want to believe he can do it, I just… don't know," Annali tells him.

"Have some faith in him, he can do it, I know he'll pull through. If not him then just believe in…," Max looks for a word but Annali finishes his sentence.

"Who, you?" she asks. Max is lost for words on how to respond, he knew he was the last person she wanted to put her faith in. Max knew she still felt betrayed, after he little fun gesture she made before she left to discover the base, he thought maybe there was a chance at forgiveness. But after what she had just said, doubting him, there was no good ending in sight. He had to live with it now.

"Annali, I'm sorry for keeping my identity a secret from you all this time but right now we need to move on and look at what's most important right now," Max immediately regretted his words.

"You taught me a lot about moving on, you helped me stop grieving for my mother and now… what hell am I supposed to think now? Am I to assume you only helped me because you needed to get me out of your way to finish your mission?" Annali asks, her eyes blazing hot with anger. Max where she was coming from and it pained him to hear her think him that way.

"No-no, I helped you through your pain because I felt sorry that you had lost your mother but I knew you had more family. It wasn't my place to help but I did. And look where it took you. The past month you've been brighter and more open than you were when we first met. My family is gone, it only felt right to help yours while you still had one. Annali, listen, I know I hurt you, probably even more than I realize but let me make you a promise…" Max pauses, briefly giving an uncomfortable exhale before saying, "After this is all over… I'll make sure you never see me again. I realize I can't be forgiven, nor can I forgive myself, this'll take the stress off your back… if you felt any at all," Max shrugs sadly, his words came as a surprise to Annali. He had made the choice for her. It hurt her to hear him say that, to think she didn't want to see him in the first place meant she had left a bad impression of herself, she wordlessly told him this was something she would never forgive. Forgiveness was all he asked for and she denied that from him. Who was she to deny him forgiveness when he had done wonders for her conscience. She was quick to realize that but too late to respond.

Before she could even say something, Max was gone. She was left with herself and her own guilt. Leaning her back against the wall, Annali tried to her best not to rage in the middle of the hallway, she couldn't believe she told him off like that, " _How could I be so FUCKING cold! What the hell was I thinking? He was only trying to help…"_ tears had started falling down from her cheeks, Annali had severed the thread that held them together. Her fists had clenched up tightly and she was finding it hard not to destroy her fists against the wall. Her breathing started to quicken as her emotions swept over her and she began to sob after what seemed like a long time. Annali placed a hand over her mouth to muffle the sounds that escaped her, she couldn't control herself. She had to face the wall to hide from anyone that would pass by. Her stomach felt queasy and she felt like throwing up but she managed to keep herself from doing that, she didn't want her own vomit to stain the floor. That wasn't something she was willing to experience at the moment.

Annali felt cold and bitter for what she had done, she had betrayed her core beliefs to never elicit such an insult as it would always affect her own conscience, " _Oh mother, forgive me for what I had done, I never meant to be so awful. Forgive me, please… what have I done?"_ she pleaded. She needed guidance, she was at a loss for what to do. Annali pleaded to the heavens for some sort of advice but received nothing to as little as silence. She felt a burning in her eyes, her tears made her vision cloudy, she wiped them away, a small drop dripped from her mandible, "Spirits… what do I do?" she whispered to herself. Just then, Annali remembered something Max had told her once before, _"Everybody makes mistakes, Annali, even ones that hurt others. If you feel bad, it's fine, just apologize, never hurts to make amends. The easiest part is to forgive yourself. I know I do, haha,"_ Max wasn't lying when he said he only helped her because it wasn't just the right thing to do… but because he wanted her to cherish something he couldn't have as a child. A family, " _I had no right to treat him that way, I needed him… and he needed me…"_ she wanted to take back what she had said. She wanted to just stop time so she didn't have to worry about anything, even if it was for a few seconds. If only Max had just kept his secret. None of this would have happened but how could she blame him, she was the one at fault, she never understood his predicament until now, " _How could I be so blind? So selfish?"_ she thought to herself. The mission was nearing its end, everybody was committed, there was no stopping the momentum everyone carried. They would need every gram of motivation to take the base.

" _ **Annali, do you copy?"**_ Caepraka's voice goes off over her earpiece.

Annali inhales quickly and wipes away her tears, she didn't want to sound broken, "Yes, mam *ahem* what is it?" she asks.

" _ **The Admiral has declared the assault schedule to be at 1000 hours exact. Tomorrow. I suggest you return to the Trianis to help organize our platoons for deployment,"**_ she tells her. Annali didn't want to leave Max, she wanted to apologize to him before anything else, she had to.

"I'm sorry, Captain, the Admiral has… already requested that I help organize the Marines on the Kilimanjaro. I'm afraid I won't be able to assist, Ma'Rice should be able to organize our platoons fairly quickly as well," Annali lies, she was afraid Caepraka may not buy it. But considering everything that had just happened in the past few days, why wouldn't she believe her?

" _ **Very well, I guess he could use the extra help, then. I will see you when this is all over, Veren. Stay safe,"**_ Caepraka wishes her well before cutting out.

"And… to you too… mam," she mutters, letting her arm fall to her side.

The siege was tomorrow, not everyone will make it to the finish line, this was going to be one hell of a push. If this was going to be her last day then she had to tell Max she still loved him. Annali saw what his true nature, he was caring for his friends, he didn't do anything without a plan, he was a man trying his best to help his closest friends. He wanted her to have a better life than what he had. Max was the only person holding everything together and should he die, everything will go straight to hell. Her life would fall apart, everything he had instilled into her would die.

At that moment, Annali made one true commitment to herself; keep Max alive at all costs.

 **The time is coming.**

 **This chapter is long overdue and was meant to be posted last Friday but school and other such things kept me from finishing it up. As said before, updates occur when I have the time and momentum to write. I'll be continuing the story into the final battle once this is uploaded. Though, it may take longer to get it done as most of it will most likely be squeezed into one long chapter. One epic one.**

 **As always have a nice day!** **ᕕ** **(** **ᐛ** **)** **ᕗ**


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

 **Time placement; Unknown- Location; Cerberus Facility. Chasca**

There were no lighting systems at all. Only the glow of the various tanks holding whatever it was that was being held within them. A glowing green partially lit the room, only providing enough light to make out the most basic details. The path leading down between the glowing tanks of a mysterious substance. A path Cromwell was uncomfortable walking on. His hand rested just over the holster holding his pistol, however, it wouldn't mean much when he would come face to face with the director. Cerberus had no intention of working with other species other than itself. But this alien was an exception.

Cromwell couldn't hope to stand up to him, or rather it. He couldn't identify it amongst the other species of the Milky Way. It was more powerful than a Krogan, much quicker than an Asari, more tenacious than a Salarian, and much more adaptable to change than a Human. What scared him was what would happen if he made a wrong move. With that thought in mind, he began walking normally, his hand swaying away from his pistol, trying to seem as lax as possible. But for some reason, this thing could see right through him. It was impossible to lie.

" **I assume you have dealt with their Admiral… no?"** a deep demonic voice echoed. It was all too familiar to Cromwell. He dreaded that voice every time, he wanted nothing more but to get away from it. But, it was all just business.

"Yes… Admiral Colt has been… removed from service," Cromwell informs.

"…"

An uncomfortable silence settles in, Cromwell was already anticipating something to happen. The silence, he felt, was still set on him; it probably expected more from him, "I was able to inflict critical damage to the Kilimanjaro's core. Trust me they're not going anywhere-," he continues.

*BANG*

The being's fist slams down on the table in front of it, causing a visible dent even in the dark. The creature's eyes became fixated on Cromwell, anger, and fury barely contained within them, **"I ordered you to destroy the entire fleet… not the blasted ADMIRAL!"** it's voice boomed. It took every nerve of Cromwell's well-being not to make any movements.

"It was part of my plan to take out the Admiral first before moving on with the fleet. If he was still alive he would have settled our attack but…" he trailed off, his fists clenched tightly.

" **But?"** it asked, seemingly curious.

Cromwell shook his head, "An old friend was on the ship, I was hoping he would have stayed in the other ship but he was on the Kilimanjaro in a split second," Cromwell explains.

" **I can only assume it was because of HIM that you failed to take the Human Dreadnought,"** the creature theorized.

"Well…"

" **Or is it because of the fact that you still had a connection with this friend of yours… this… Tereshkova,"** the creature hypothesized, apparently aware of Cromwell's connections with others.

Cromwell did not question how he knew this, but then again, he knew everything the Alliance had been doing up this point so there was no doubt he knew more, "No, we're not friends… we were long ago when we were kids but now we're nothing more than people on the opposite sides of the spectrum," Cromwell defended himself.

The creature gave a mere grunt of acknowledgment, not seeming to like or dislike his statement. Instead, it seemed to turn around from its place, it's horns protruding from the top of its head, **"So is he dead?"** it asks.

"No, sir. I wasn't able to…" Cromwell admits.

" ***grunt* is there anything else I should know about this Tereshkova besides what I already know?"** it asks.

"I can only assume with Colt dead he will have promoted Tereshkova to Admiral, if not, earlier. Colt is a very observant man; he'll test his crew for anyone with the potential to take up his position should he be KIA. Tereshkova was always on his mind for Line-of-Command. He shouldn't be underestimated either; he's a very accomplished N7 trainee," Cromwell explains.

" **With their fleet crippled and their casualties mounted, I can only assume he will attempt a direct assault on this base. Their earlier incursion has left us exposed. Our cloaking field can only hide us so long as they do not see us. I want all our assets prepared to defend the west and east sides; I want men scattered along our outer walls, beyond the field, and I want our Anti-air defenses primed to fire. I believe they will be attacking from only one side,"** the mysterious being orders.

"What if they manage to get in?" Cromwell asks.

The creature then turns to him, its silhouette rising above its desk, towering above Cromwell, **"Then they will not live long enough to see my work,"** it states as it presses a key on its desk, a radioactive symbol appearing on the screen behind him.

[

 **1031 A.M. Alliance-Turian Joint Fleet, Planetary orbit; Chasca – April 15, 2183, 30 minutes to Deployment, Status: imminent**

" _ **This is vessel 38, standing by!"**_

" _ **This is vessel 93, shuttle is prepped for go!"**_

" _ **This is shuttle 230, M35 Mako's are secured and ready to deploy!"**_

" _ **Shuttle 345 prepped as well! Awaiting further instructions!"**_

" _ **This is shuttle 56, all essential personnel have reported in!"**_

Pilots continued to check in, signaling their readiness for the drop. Max had given the order for everyone to report to their designated shuttle once the crews of the Kilimanjaro, Victrition, and Trianis where ready. Well, all except for Linnius who hadn't reported in yet. He could only hope she was preparing her crew and troops as well.

"Private, has Captain Linnius reported in, yet?" Max asks.

"Not yet, sir. I'll notify you when she comes through," the private states.

Max nods in acknowledgment and turns back to the bridge window, looking out towards Chasca. This was going to be it, almost like judgment day; they had to make this assault count. They needed to put their all into this since they are severely outnumbered. But their shock and awe should be able to get them by. 'Should'.

"Sir, it's Linnius, she says her troops are ready," the Private notifies.

"Good, put her through," Max says.

"Aye, sir!"

" **Admiral, my troops are docked in their shuttles and ready to deploy on your mark. Still, I can't believe you're headed down there yourself,"** she expresses her concern.

"Someone has to help lead the charge, Captain. If anything, I got us into this mess, this is my way of mending my mistakes," Max explains.

" _ **Dying on the battlefield isn't going to mend anything you know,"**_ Linnius jokes.

Max rolls his eyes, "I'm not going to die, I have enough combat experience to keep myself alive long enough to see the end. The question is, will everyone be able to see it as well?" Max asks.

There was a long silence for a moment until Linnius says, _**"A good question indeed. I pray our comrades will live long enough to see home. Anyways, I'm ready when you are, Admiral,"**_ Linnius states.

"I'm ready," Max says.

" _ **As am I,"**_ Caepraka chimes in.

"If you're ready then I'll set the plan in motion now," Max says.

" _ **The Trianis is ready, give the word,"**_ Caepraka states.

"Alright," Max switches his comms so that everyone on the ship can hear him, "Are all shuttles ready for deployment?" Max asks.

" _ **Aye, sir!"**_ they confirm in unison.

"Good, all ships move into position, we have a minute till deployment. I'll be joining the task force dropping down to the planet to lead key assets while our recon team leads us to the objective," Max takes a moment to breathe. This was it, there is no going back now, not when the plan is in full swing. Once they reached the bottom he was going to stay close to Annali so as to make sure she can go home… alive. He wished the conversation could have gone better but he failed to realize he wasn't getting any closer to her at that point. He would have to watch her back from a small distance. The plan was all that was keeping him from breaking down if his morale was down then what kind of motivation do the troops have? It would have looked like he was leading them on a suicide mission. Which it was but it seemed more of a mission for vengeance. If one thing was going to kill them it was their thirst for a fight. They needed to think logically and strategically in order to stay in the game. Including him, "Shuttles, prepare to deploy!" he instructs.

" _ **Copy."**_

"Chance…" Max turns to him standing by the holo-table. Chance looks up at him, "You better not miss or else…" Max warns as he walks past him.

"Don't worry, Admiral, I won't miss. Good luck down there," Chance reassures him.

"You too, I expect you over my head and not on top of me," Max says as the doors close behind him.

[

Annali packs a few extra thermal clips to her belt as well as a grenade. She slaps a clip into her vindicator and collapses it to fit on her back. Young steps into the shuttle, "You ready?" he asks Annali.

"As ready as I'll ever be, yes," she nods not looking directly at him.

"We're severely outnumbered; our Mako's will only do so much as provide cover for us. Once we deploy our shuttles are our only air support for a limited time before they head back," Young states as he holds on to one of the handles on the ceiling.

Annali doesn't respond, the events that unfolded earlier yesterday where still fresh in her mind. Her stomach wrenched at her behavior; she couldn't have acted any worse than she did. Her teeth clenched tightly as she felt herself become reminded once again. She had to keep her mind elsewhere, "*ahem* you think they found the charges?" she asks, trying to start a conversation.

"I hope not, they should be camouflaged with the wall. That's our only Ace up our sleeve we have at the moment," he says with worry.

"Once we get close enough we should detonate them since they'll be on that side of the wall. We can stun them for a moment and then rush them in order to gain more footing on their stronghold," Annali states.

"I couldn't agree more. Speaking of which, here comes Tereshkova," Young directs her attention out the door.

Max was walking towards them with the same armor he wore but now with a different insignia where his N7 insignia used to be; it was now a gold bar about 3cm thick with two thinner ones just below. Just above the rank was the Admirals' pin. Max steps into the shuttle and addresses Young, "You ready?" he asks.

"Everyone is; Smith is with the 34th platoon to direct them as you said. The Sergeants are also evenly spaced to lead a squad," he clarifies.

"Good, pilot lead us down. I'll give the mark," Max instructs.

"Aye, sir," the pilot nods and begins to move the shuttle over the opening. Max begins to walk toward the cockpit but not before catching Annali's eyes on him. Immediately the two look from each other, Annali wanting to hide her shame from him.

Max steps into the cockpit and stands next to the pilot seat. He takes a deep breath before speaking, " _Here goes something…_ Captains are you in position?" Max asks in open comms.

" _ **Trianis in position!"**_

" _ **Victrition in position! Standing by."**_

"Kilimanjaro, are we in position?" Max asks.

" _ **Yes, sir, we're in position!"**_ Chance confirms.

"All pilots on my mark…" Max announces. The pilots keep a firm stance on the controls as they await the order, "3…2…1… drop!" As soon as Max gives the order, their shuttle immediately drops through the opening below the Kilimanjaro and begins its descent. The shuttles from the Kilimanjaro begin to drop as well and follow Max's shuttle. Shuttles from the Trianis and Victrition also begin dropping through their ships dock and alter course to join the Alliance shuttles in descent. Three lines merge to become one full force diving down towards the planet.

" _ **Alliance vessel 34 standing formation!"**_

" _ **Turian vessel 65a joining…"**_

" _ **Merging with task force!"**_

"Alright pilot, take us to the nav point," Max instructs.

"Aye, sir!" the pilot nods to Max and takes the shuttle down towards the surface.

Max looks out the window of the shuttle up toward the Kilimanjaro as it turns its hull away from them, "Chance, when I give the order you bring the Kilimanjaro in and give us covering fire," Max orders.

" _ ***zztk* Aye, sir. In the meantime, I will line it up for entry. Good luck, sir. Chance out!"**_ the comm cuts as the Kilimanjaro goes to FTL and disappears into the black abyss.

"As to you," Max goes back to the pilot, "Take us in softly, I want this to be as smooth as possible," Max says.

"Will do, Admiral," the pilot flips a switch above while managing other systems.

Max then heads into the cabin where the others are sitting and making final checks to their gear. Young then turns to Max, "So, what's the play now?" he asks.

"The others should know about this; once the shuttles let us off we'll take cover behind the M35's so we don't risk anyone getting shot. If anyone is going to take the hit it's the Makos," Max explains.

"And when the fire starts?"

"Then that's when we run towards it. You said there would be a wall up ahead didn't you?" Max asks.

"Correct, but it would be much easier getting to it if we could see it," Young explains.

"But you know how far it is, right?"

"About half a kilometer once we're on the ground and moving. We'll see the wall but we have to keep moving regardless of incoming fire. We set up the charges but I need to get close enough in order to set them off," Young explains.

"We'll get to it, just lead the way," Max pats his arm.

"We're past the clouds, Admiral!" the Pilot tells Max. A flotilla of shuttles fall through the clouds, Max's and a few others being the first in line. As more emerge from the clouds, two large shadows cast over them as the Trianis and Victrition slowly follow behind them.

" _ **We're right behind you, Tereshkova!"**_

"Copy! Make your final checks people, once we're on-"

*BOOM*

The shuttle suddenly shakes violently as an explosion goes off near it. The sky then lights up with explosions as enemy fire appears to come from nowhere, "I can't see them, all I see are trees," the pilot states.

"Just keep heading toward the nav point, all shuttles maintain your formation," Max orders.

" _ **Copy that!"**_

Max watches out the window as explosion after explosion rocks their shuttle, the other Alliance, and Turian shuttles desperately trying to dodge fire while keeping their formation.

Annali looks out the other window and sees the familiar terrain they're approaching. They were still far from it, _"We have to get under this fire. We're not going to last long in the open,"_ she thought to herself. She turned to Max, "We need to begin our approach now!" she states.

"We're still too far from the nav point," Young explains.

"If we don't get under that fire now we won't make it to the nav point. Max- Admiral, we need to get close to the trees in order to limit their fire," Annali explains.

Max looks out the window and sees the nav point, they were definitely still too far away and the fire they were getting was starting to get more intense, "You're right. Pilot, get us under those guns. All shuttles, follow us down!" Max orders over the comms.

" _ **Copy that, Admiral! Adjusting course!"**_

" _ **Diving on your order!"**_

"Take us down, pilot!" Max orders.

"Yes, sir!" the pilot shifts the controls down and the shuttle makes a nose dive down. The shuttles behind them follow suit as they divert their course down. The Trianis and Victrition follow suit and descend down as well.

" _ **Diverting course, we'll be right behind you!"**_ Caepraka states.

"Admiral, 30 seconds to LZ, I suggest you get ready!" the pilot tells him while swerving the shuttle left to right, trying to avoid getting shot down.

"Understood. All shuttles carrying Makos, fly ahead of us and deploy, I want cover once we touchdown!" Max orders.

" _ **Aye, sir!"**_

" _ **Starting approach!"**_ multiple shuttles zoom past them as they carry the heavy tanks ahead of them. One shot nearly gets a shuttle and causes it to divert off course, _**"GAH! Those blasted guns are really getting on my nerves!"**_ the pilot shouts in agitation.

"Keep your cool pilot, just make sure you get to the LZ," Max tells him.

The shuttles follow behind, sticking dangerously close to the tree line while avoiding incoming fire, "So far so good, we haven't lost anybody," Young states.

"Let's keep it that way, everyone, once we're out make a beeline towards the nearest tree and make your way to the Makos. They'll be covering our advance so keep up cause we're not slowing down. We have the momentum, let's keep it," Max then grabs his helmet and puts it on.

"Sir, yes, sir!" the troops nod as they do the same and clip on their helmets.

"10 seconds to drop, Makos have made touchdown and the shuttles are on their way back to the cruisers!" the pilot informs Max.

"Good, seal the hatch, then!" Max orders.

"Yes, sir!" the pilot nods and flicks a switch to his left, causing the door leading to the cockpit to close. The window then gets shutout and the lights dim to black only to be replaced by red. Annali then puts on her helmet and secures it. She takes out her Vindicator and checks the fire setting; burst. Her hear begins racing as the battle nears ever so closer.

"Bridge, your comms gone static!"

"Got it!"

"Red light! Stand by!" the soldiers ready themselves as they stand to face either doorway.

Max stares at the right door as he counts down the time, he could hear the ground get closer as the shuttle was now hovering over it, "Welcome to paradise, boys! Give em HELL!" the pilot says as the red lights dim and turns to green.

"Green light!"

The doors open as a blinding light envelops the cabin. There was silence once the light came, it was peace, nothing happened at that moment. But unfortunately, like many things, good times always come to an end.

*BOOM* *gunfire*

"GOGOGOGO!"

"MOVE IT! MOVE IT!"

Max grabs his M8 and jumps out followed by everyone else also running toward the fire. Young and Annali follow and run ahead, getting behind a tree as bullets hit the ground and zip by them, a few ricocheting off the shuttle's hull. The remaining troops follow suit and spread out, keeping their heads low so as to not get domed. The team take cover behind and watch behind them as the other shuttles land and deploy their reinforcements; Alliance and Turian forces begin running towards them as the shuttles take off only to be replaced by another to drop off more men. So far so good.

"Everyone, forward!" Max motions with his hand as he leads everyone towards the Makos. The troops behind keep his orders in mind as they turn left and right between the trees, bullets exploding into the bark and splinters flying in all directions. Suddenly an explosion goes off within their ranks, catching multiple soldiers off guard and causing them to stumble. However, it doesn't stop their advance. Soon, Max and the first wave of troops arrive at the Mako's who are already firing their Mass accelerators into the forest. Max bangs on the back door of one of the Makos. A moment passes by before the hatch opens and the tank commander steps out.

"Admiral, we've secured a frontline and are ready to move forward!" the commander informs.

"Anything up ahead?" Max asks.

"Affirmative; multiple hostiles are hiding between the trees and taking cover in every rock and ditch. We'll clear them out while you guide us," the Tank Commander explains.

"Young will guide you there."

"Yes, sir!" Young steps into the Mako as the commander steps aside.

*BOOM*

"Commander, tell the others to follow your lead and keep a steady pace so we can keep up," Max tells him.

"Will do!" he gives Max a thumbs up and closes the hatch, "Lt. Young, care to take the periscope?" he asks him.

"Yup," Young nods and peers through the scope. He sees multiple white figures peeking over some barriers, their armor giving them away with the red vegetation and dark trees, "Gunner, you can start laying down more fire on them. Commander, you can begin the march," Young states.

"Driver, take us forward! All other Mako's follow our lead!" the Tank Commander orders. The driver nods and moves the Mako forward as the gunner begins taking out Cerberus troops.

Max notices the Makos revving their engines and rolling forward, "Follow the Makos and don't lag behind, we're rushing them!" Max orders.

The soldiers line up behind the Makos as they advance forward, crushing any trees in its way. Max and Annali remain close behind, keeping their bodies behind the armored behemoth as it takes the brunt of the attack. Cerberus troops fire on the attack but their firearms are incapable of inflicting any sort of damage on the armored envoy. The Makos gun continues to pound them until they are forced to back away, now exposing themselves fully as they make their retreat. The Tank Commander sees this and discovers a window.

"Sir, they're making a retreat!" he notifies Max.

"They're retreating?" Max asks.

"Yes, sir, they're falling back," he confirms.

"All units, they're falling back, rush them now!" Max orders. They then jump out into the open, encircling the Mako and push forward, firing into the forest to take out the retreating Cerberus troops, "Makos, keep your current advancement while we push farther," Max orders as he passes the Mako.

"Copy that, we'll provide support, then," the Commander acknowledges.

Max keeps up with everyone but then spots Annali just ahead of him, her rifle pointed down into the forest unloading round after round. Instinctively, he kept his distance from her while they charged deeper into the forest, his eyes diverting from the forest to her back and forth. He wasn't willing to let her die here on this godforsaken rock while his body still drew breath.

On the other hand, Annali was taking out as many Cerberus troops as she could in order to shield Max as best as she could. She had no intention on going home knowing she could've kept Max alive if she cared. She did. Not only was her mind set on taking down the base but to also get Max home safe and alive.

They continued advancing further and further until it seemed there were no more Cerberus soldiers left in sight. It seemed as though they had taken out their front line defense. Annali walked over the lifeless human bodies of Cerberus as she scanned the area in front of her. The Alliance and Turian soldiers continued at a steady pace, their weapons lowered but kept close at the ready. Max zoomed in with his helmet into the distance to spot anything out of the ordinary but found nothing.

"Smith, Rios, Rudy, give me a sitrep!" Max calls into the comms.

" _ **The remainder of our battalion has just landed. We'll be at your location within the minute,"**_ Sgt. Rios informs.

" _ **My group is joining up with yours now,"**_ Sgt. Rudy informs.

" _ **I'm with Rudy right now, we're right behind you,"**_ Smith states. Max looks behind to see Sgt. Rudy and Smith walking up to him, "No casualties at the moment, a few of our troops took a bullet but they'll live. Only two are being sent back to the Victrition," Smith explains.

"That's good to hear," Max says, his body filled with relief.

"So what's the holdup, now?" Sgt. Rudy asks.

"Nothing, that's what," Max tells him.

Rudy and Smith look at each other in confusion, "Care to elaborate?" Rudy asks.

"The thing is, we're not meeting any opposition from Cerberus. We just wiped out their entire front line and now everything's silent…" Max looked behind him toward the empty forest, "Too silent…" Max trails off.

"Maybe we should keep moving forward, we're wasting time just standing here," Sgt. Rudy suggests.

"But if they're waiting for us? Well be walking straight into a trap," Max hypothesizes.

"I'm with Max on this, we need to spread ourselves even more so we don't stay grouped so close. One mortar can wipe out seven men within a six-foot radius," Smith suggests.

"But if we're so spread out how can we be sure to counter an air attack without proper communication?" Sgt. Rudy asks.

"That's what the cruisers are for," Max tells him.

While Max, Smith, and Rudy argue, Annali scouts a little up ahead from their post. She stops just a few feet away from the main group, not wanting to distance herself so far in case she needed assistance. Out of the corner of her eye, she sees an Alliance soldier going a bit farther than she did and stopping as he scanned the area in front of them. The soldier squinted his eyes to try and focus his vision to see farther but could only see more and more trees. Eventually, the soldier gave up and turned to regroup with the others.

*snap*

A snapping sound went off behind him and he turned to identify the sound but saw nothing.

*snap*

Another one went off and this time the soldier was able to catch where it came from. Just 200 feet in front of him a white silhouette formed from nothing. It was indescribable as to the shape but he could make out what seemed to be a boot and a white shin just standing there. Before he could call it out he saw a barrel suddenly emerge from nothingness.

*BANG* 

A bullet flew into his right soldier and knocked him down, "AGHH!" he screamed in pain as he clutched his shoulder.

Annali was the first to react, "SHOTS FIRED!" she hollered and took cover behind a tree before the air was split by the crackle of gunfire and bullets flying through the air and exploding into either the ground or the trees.

The battalion quickly took cover behind trees and attempted to return fire but the bullets kept coming out of thin air. There was no visible user in sight.

Annali peeked from behind the tree to try and identify their location but couldn't see any barrels lighting up with fire. The Battalion was pinned down by an invisible force, _"What kind of tech are they using?"_ Annali wondered. They were able to conceal themselves perfectly while firing their weapons. She had to strategize with the others in order to make a plan of action. But before she could make her move to get to Max and the others she remembered the soldier that took the first hit. Turning to his last known position, she saw him lying against a tree with his hand covering his shoulder, his chest heaving in panic. He was trapped. She had to save him from their rain of fire, "Admiral, there's a man stuck in the crossfire, I'm moving towards him. Requesting you lay down some covering fire," Annali speaks into the comms, she got up and got ready to make the sprint towards the injured man.

"What, no don't, we'll advance towards him and-"

"I'm going!" Annali then sprints out of her cover and into the hail of bullets, blindly shooting into the open, hoping to hit someone.

"Shit, lay down covering fire!" Max hollers, unloading his entire clip into the open as the others followed suit and fired into the open, shielding Annali as she made her way to the injured soldier.

Annali slid down behind the tree and began assessing the man of his injury, "Are you alright?" she asks.

"Argh, took one in the left shoulder. Nff, I can't move from here," he explains.

"Let me put some medi-gel on that," Annali tells him as she pulls out a small white and red canister. A small needle sticks out from the bottom and she injects it into the wound.

"Mmmaaah!" he grunts. Annali could hear he was trying to hide his pain through a heavy grunt.

"No need to act all tough around me," she tells him as she throws the canister away.

"I'm not trying to, Turian," he grumbles, taking Annali back suddenly.

"So I guess I should leave you here, then, Human," Annali retorts mockingly.

The soldier looks up at her and gives a heavy sigh, "Alright- alright, I'm sorry, just can't believe I got hit," the soldier explains, embarrassed.

"You deal with it every now and then," Annali states as she offers her hand. The soldier gladly takes it and she pulls him up, slinging his arm around her neck.

"So you deal with this every day?" he asks as they begin making their way back to the battalion.

"I try my best not to but every now and then you get an unpleasant surprise," Annali explains.

Max sees Annali with the injured soldier and quickly gets up from behind cover to help them, "Cover the Admiral!" Smith shouts as she gets up as well, firing blankly into the open.

Max clips his M8 onto his back and takes the soldiers right arm and swings it over his neck, "You okay soldier?" Max asks.

"I will be, sir," he confirms.

"You're heading to the Victrition, now. Victrition, I need a medical shuttle at my location immediately," Max talks into the comms.

" _ **Copy that, we're sending you one now,"**_ a Turian acknowledges.

"Lay him over here," Max says he directs them over to a collapsed tree. As they lay him down, a field medic rushes over to them and begins assessing the soldier, "Will he be alright?" Max asks.

"Sir…" the medic takes off his helmet to reveal himself to be Adam Montero, "You give me enough time, I can put him in fighting shape in no time," Montero says with a cocky grin, shocking both Annali and Max.

"Adam? What are you doing down here?" Max asks.

"Well, I had to be somewhere useful so I grabbed my gear, hopped onto a shuttle, and here I am," Adam says as he patches some gauze over the soldiers wound.

"And I'm not complaining. It's always good to have another familiar face here," Max says as he slaps Adam's shoulders.

"Good to be accepted, now I think you have another problem to worry about right now," Adam gestures over to the incoming fire as he puts on his helmet.

"We can't see them from here, for some reason we can't see their gunfire just bullets coming from thin air. Must be some sort cloaking device they have…" just as Max finishes his sentence, Annali gets a sudden flashback the last time she was here.

She had kicked a pebble at one point and it disappeared into thin air. She remembered raising her arm in front of her only to disappear flawlessly, as if she was literally disappearing, into the cloaking field that hid the Cerberus compound. They were near the field, "Admiral, we must be close to the field if we can't see them. They can obviously see us but we can't," Annali reminds him.

Max then remembers the cloaking field as well, they had to be near it then, "Then we have to storm them-"

eeeeeeeeeeEEEEE*BOOM* *KRAKOW*

Multiple explosions rock the earth followed by whistling sounds that got louder as the projectiles neared, "MORTARS INCOMING!"

*BOOM*

"They're mortaring us now, we have to move!" Sgt. Rudy shouts.

"Is it time to call in the Kilimanjaro?" Smith asks.

"Not yet, we need to get closer," Max states.

"Then we're going to need the support of our friends in the sky," Smith says.

Max nods in agreement, "Trianis, Victrition, I need you to move in closer on my position and fire at these coordinates!" Max states as he sends the coordinates.

" _ **Copy, Admiral, moving Trianis into position,"**_ Caepraka confirms.

" _ **I hear you, Victrition on approach…"**_ Linnius states.

"MORTAR INCOMING!"

*BOOM*

"AAAHHH!"

"WATCH YOUR HEADS!"

"We have to get out here! We're sitting ducks!" Sgt. Rudy shouts as he takes cover.

Max quickly looks around for a means to help his men, they needed cover immediately, "Where are my Makos?" he shouts into the comms.

" _ **Where here, Admiral!"**_ the Makos burst through the trees at a rapid pace and quickly create a wall in front of the battalion.

"The enemy is right in front of us, I need you to lay down suppressive fire in every direction and keep moving forward," Max instructs.

" _ **Understood!"**_ the Makos' guns then begin firing into the forest, stifling the fire incoming fire including the mortars.

"Alright, we now have a baseline, we just need the Trianis and Victrition to finish them off on the other side so we can-"

"GUNSHIPS INBOUND!" a soldier cries out.

The words were like a ghostly girl screaming into his ear in the middle of the night. A gunship was the last thing he had expected. More so, there was more than one. Max and Annali quickly looked up to the left, there were three Gunships that appeared out of nowhere and were headed straight for them, "EVERYONE FIND COVER!" Max hollered just as the forest around them got riddled with bullets and missiles. Missiles were flying through the trees then diving down to the ground, exploding in an attempt to meet its target. The Gunships flew over the battalion, making strafing runs then hovering in place to better hone in on multiple targets. The Makos guns attempted to shoot down the airborne targets but the gunships were much quicker to react and respond, firing on the Makos once they took a shot. The Alliance and Turian soldiers fired into the air attempting to shoot down the gunships. Run after run, the Makos continued to get hammered by the gunships, already disabling one by destroying its suspension and transmission modules.

"Admiral, one of our Makos just took a hit. They're not going anywhere anymore!" The Tank Commander states.

"Caepraka, Linnius, take out the Gunships hovering just above me!" Max shouts into the comms.

 _ **Copy, Admiral; moving into position to provide air support,"**_ Caepraka acknowledges. Turning to the helmsman she points out into the distance, "Get us into position and fix our guns on those Gunships," she orders. The helmsman nods and begins to set a course to pilot the cruiser into position. The cruisers engines shone brighter and thus began pushing the ship toward its destination, its guns trained on the Gunships once in range, "We're closing in, Admiral, just a little bit more," Caepraka states. Once the Gunships were in range Caepraka gave the order, "All forward batteries lock on and fire on the-"

*BOOM*

The hull of the Trianis suddenly lit up into a ball of fire, "GAH!" Caepraka screamed as the explosion blinded her and shook the hull. Several more hits came from in front of them, slamming into the shield and stunning the Trianis from retaliating. They were taking fire from an unknown source as well and they couldn't do anything about it. Caepraka quickly picked herself up and scanned the air and ground for the enemy but then she saw something shaped like a pencil appear out of nowhere, "Missile inbound!" one of the technicians shouts.

*KRAKOW*

It hit with blunt force, trying to pierce the shield that protected the cruiser from any external damage, "GRRH! All batteries refocus efforts right in front of us. Get me the Victrition!" she commanded. The radio technician nods and establishes contact, "Linnius, I'm taking heavy fire! Requesting immediate assis-"

" _ **Negative, Trianis, we're taking fire too! Shields are at 68% and dropping fast!"**_ Linnius shouts into the comms. Caepraka looks out the right side of the bridge and sees multiple explosions enveloping the Victrition in every angle.

"Damn it! Admiral, we're unable to assist you-"

*BOOM*

" _ ***tzzkt*You have to take out those guns yourself if we're going to have any chance at helping you!"**_ she explains.

"We can't move forward with those Gunships pinning us down," Max tells her. Looking up, he sees both Turian cruisers lit up by fire; missiles were slamming into it at a non-stop pace.

Annali turns away from the incoming fire and takes a moment to breathe, looking up she also sees the cruisers under heavy Anti-air fire. From the look of it, they weren't going to last much longer, "Admiral, we need to push their defense!" Annali pitches.

"Not when we can't see them! I'm calling in the Kilimanjaro!" Max says as he pulls up his Omni-tool, "Chance this is Admiral Tereshkova, come in!" Max shouts into his wrist. Max only heard static in return, "Kilimanjaro this is Admiral Tereshkova, do you read?" he calls. Again only static was the answer, "Trianis, can you hear me?" static, "Shit, they must be blocking our signal," Max growls.

"What the hell does that mean?" Sgt. Rudy asks.

Suddenly an explosion goes off as a missile takes out a Mako, blowing everyone near it away, Max and Annali stumble and fall, taking cover behind a fallen tree. Annali reaches to grab her Vindicator but finds it nowhere near her, as she searches for it she and Max look up to see a Gunship hovering just in front of them, its gun trained on the two of them. Annali's eyes widen in realization. Without hesitation, she pulls out her Carnifex pistol, pointing it up at the Gunship she inhales sharply, holding her breath.

*BANG*

The bullet makes its way directly into the cockpit, shattering the glass and staining the inside with red. The Gunship then begins to teeter-totter left and right, without its pilot it had no control over itself and spun out of control, descending down and crashing into the ground. Annali finally lets out her breath and turns to face Max's helmet, "So what does this mean?" she asks.

"It means the Kilimanjaro has no idea we're in trouble…" Max tells her, his voice filled with hopelessness, "We're trapped," he states.

Annali flops down next to him, unable to stand now that the worst case scenario was already unfolding in front of her. Their entire task force was outmatched by the superior firepower of Cerberus. With their communications scrambled they were unable to call in their Ace. A plume of dirt rose up from behind, its contents flying in every direction and falling on Max and Annali. Soldiers that were just joining up with them were being cut down with the incoming fire from the Gunships and invisible Cerberus forces. They were at a loss. They couldn't win. Another explosion went off nearby, this time, the shockwave was enough to stun their ears. Annali could feel the vibrations in her gut, she felt butterflies for a second. It was the strangest feeling. She felt lightweight, as though gravity had ceased to exist. For a moment, nothing happened, no sound, no tense, no nothing. Until a sharp pain shot up in her arm. Annali's eyes opened to see her helmet was not on her head anymore. Her arm moved to pick her up but it was pained and she couldn't feel much of it.

Annali managed to stand up fully, looking around her, she looked in every direction for Max until he found him a few feet from where they were; his body lying on the ground, unmoving. Annali feared the worst as she made her way to him. Kneeling down, she placed a hand on his shoulder, "Max… are you okay?" she asked, her voice pained. She shook him a bit harder, "Max wake up!" she cried.

"FffmAAH! AAH!" Max jerked up but quickly laid back down as he clutched his leg, "That doesn't feel good," he groaned. Looking up his eyes widen in pure shock.

Annali quickly caught his eye and looked up, her eyes widening in horror; the Victrition's shields had been penetrated, a section of the hull had fallen off completely as missiles and AA shells battered its wound. The Trianis was also taking a tremendous amount of fire; missiles were coming in non-stop. There was no end in sight.

"Missiles incoming!" someone screamed. Annali looked into the sky again and saw multiple dots were pointed straight at them, a tail of smoke trailed after them as they made their way to its target.

This was finally it, the final blow that would declare their defeat. They had lost.

 _ ***tzzkt***_

" _ **ADMIRAL *tzzkt* INFLUX IN 3…2… *tzzkt*"**_ the comms suddenly came to life as Chance's voice went off. In the sky, sparks of lightning began to form. A stream of light hitting the ground and singing [sin-jing] everything in its path. The anomaly became even violent.

*TSSKT!* *CRACKLE* *WRRRRRRR*

*BOOM*

Out of nowhere, the Kilimanjaro exploded into existence, the shockwave of its colossal hull jumping out of FTL was enough to flatten every tree near it, pushing everyone to the ground. As planned, the radiation was not contained and was let to blast out across the surface. The radiation quickly made quick work of the missiles, rendering them useless sticks to fall. The Gunships immediately lost all power and were left to freefall to their doom. And just like Max had theorized, the cloaking field was completely disabled. The field quickly dissolved to reveal the now very visible and confused Cerberus soldiers.

"All broadside batteries, fire on the base!" Chance ordered. The entire right side of the Kilimanjaro lit up as its cannons bore down the full might of the Dreadnought. The base became enveloped in fire as the dreadnought's firepower quickly dealt with the AA guns and missile launchers that wreaked havoc with the Turian cruisers.

Everyone on the ground was left in awe and cheered in pure relief now that their back up had arrived. Max and Annali stared up at the Kilimanjaro that remained hovering above them. Shuttles began flying down from the hangar to the surface, landing and greeting them with extra reinforcements. Medics rushed to the injured Alliance and Turian soldiers that were still kicking while those that were still standing began taking out the Cerberus troopers that had no shield to cover them. Annali helped Max up as he applied Medi-gel to his leg, now able to move much freely he opened up comms, "Chance is that you?" Max asks, looking up at the Kilimanjaro's belly.

" _ **Glad to see you're still alive, Admiral,"**_ Chance states.

"How did you know when to come?" Max asks.

" _ **You were taking a while to give me the signal so I took a gamble and flew the Kilimanjaro in. I wasn't sure if I was going to get here on time,"**_ Chance explains.

"Well, let me tell you your timing was impeccable. You got here in the nick of time," Max assures him.

" _ **Glad I did. I'm sending a squadron of shuttles to take you to the tower while we take care of the ground,"**_ Chance states.

"I see they're arriving now with some extra manpower. Keep up the pressure while we deal with the tower and please don't hit us while we're in there," Max orders.

" _ **Aye, sir!"**_ Chance says before closing the comms.

" _ **We will send a compliment of our own with you, Admiral. I pray you will put an end to all of this,"**_ Linnius states.

"I didn't come here to make a barbecue, don't worry I'll take care of it," Max assures.

A shuttle lands near Max and Annali, opening its doors to greet them with Sgt. Rios, "Hey, Admiral, I'm here to help you take the command center. We have a twelve man Marine team in the shuttles on standby," Rios states.

"Good. Smith, Young, Rudy; I'm leaving you to clear out the ground forces here and secure the base. Execute Offense 36 and 23," Max orders.

"Affirmative, Admiral. We'll handle things down here," Lt. Smith nods in agreement, turning to lead the Battalion toward the wall. Before she continues any further, she turns to face Max, "Admiral," she calls him. Max turns to face her, "If you ever see Cromwell…" she begins to say before Max cuts her off.

"Don't worry…" Max pulls out his pistol, cocking it and placing it back in his holster, "he'll get what's coming to him," Max assures her as he steps into one of the shuttles.

Annali moves to join him in the shuttle before something catches her arm. It's Smith, "Hey, uh, can I ask you something?" she asks.

"That's one question, what's the other?" Annali asks.

Smith chuckles before nearing Annali's ear, "I need to you to keep a close eye on Tereshkova; he and Cromwell are, or rather, 'were' close. He might try to entice Max into lowering his guard so I need you to keep a close eye on him. Keep your gun trained on him," Smith explains.

"Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on him, you have my word," Annali reassures her, placing a hand on her shoulder.

Smith gives a confident smile and nods, "I'll see you on the other side then," she says as she places her helmet back on, taking charge toward the wall.

Annali then moves and boards the shuttle, the doors close and the small squadron of shuttles take off. The trio fly over the forest, the Alliance, and Turian soldiers could be seen firing off their rifles, the Cerberus troops trying to push them back but to no avail. Annali watches out the window as they pass under the Kilimanjaro's massive hull, her guns baring down her full might on the helpless base, destroying anti-air batteries and missile silos. As they rose higher into the air, the guns began to lessen their fire to create a window for them to fly up to the tower's hangar.

*BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM*

Annali looks down through the window to see the walls consumed in fire. They had already reached the walls and detonated the Fusion Charges, _"Good job, Young,"_ she congratulated him. As they neared, she could see the inside of the hangar, stocked with shuttles that will never leave the base.

"Preparing to land; I detect multiple hostiles setting up defenses in the hangar. They're expecting us," the pilot states.

"Then let's not leave them hanging," Max says as he clutches his M8 tightly.

"Entering hangar!" the shuttle turns to show its right side as it lands, the other shuttles follow suit.

*pwing* *pwing* *clang*

"Admiral, they're firing on us," the pilot informs.

"Noted, we'll have to move fast," Max says as he readies himself to make the dash.

"Move like hell, Marines!"

"OORAH!"

The doors begin to unlock, "Retreat!"

"HELL!"

"RETREAT!"

"HELL!"

Rios and the other Marines chant, a chant that confuses Annali, before the doors open. At that moment, everyone charges out, "MOVE!" Everyone piles out, returning fire back to the Cerberus defenders, "Pick your targets and keep moving forward!" Rios shouts. The remaining shuttles deploy their troops then quickly take off to avoid the fight.

"Who are they?" Rios asks.

Annali looks over to the soldiers that were just deployed and gives a smirk, "They're Turian Marines," she clarifies.

"Hmph, let's see if they can keep up," Rios says as he pushes on.

The squads merge to form one intimidating invasion force, picking off the defenders quickly. Max spots one getting out of cover with a missile launcher on his shoulder. Without hesitation, he lands a round into his head. But the launcher fires anyway and zooms toward them at incredible speeds, splitting the invasion force in half as it rocketed past them and hits one of the shuttles, the explosion echoing within the hangar.

"Keep up the momentum!" Max ordered.

As they near the entrance to the hallway leading out from the hangar, the Cerberus troops attempt to make a retreat. An action Max quickly seized as an opportunity, "They're falling back, make sure none of them alert the rest of the tower," Max states. The Marines quickly make quick work of the retreating Cerberus forces and soon the hangar falls silent.

The group gathers together to coordinate, "Looks like we've secured the hangar, boss," Rios states.

"That we did, now we just need to take the command center," Max says as he pulls up a holographic image on his Omni-tool, "The command center is a few stories above us so we'll have to split up into two teams; Team 1 will accompany me up to secure the command center while Team 2, which will consist of most of us to secure the mid and lower section of the tower. Our Task just blew through the wall keeping them out so they'll need someone on the inside to corner enemy forces if they try to retreat up here. You'll keep pushing until they surrender or if they just prefer to die. Rios, I'll take three Marines as well as three other Turian Marines to accompany me," Max states.

"Johnson, Carrel, Su, you'll escort the Admiral up to the command center," Rios orders.

"Sir, yes, sir," they nod.

"I'll take three other Marines," Max says.

"I will accompany you, Admiral," one of the Turian Marines raises his hand.

"As will I," another joins.

"Now that just leaves one more," Max looks around, observing the remaining Turian soldiers. None of them moved to raise their hands, their heads turning towards each other, looking to see who would be the third to accompany him.

"I will," a female voice pitches in. The group splits to reveal Annali with her hand raised in the air, "I will join you, you may need a Turian officer to help keep the others in check," she explains.

Max turns to face her, his face covered in confusion, "Are… you sure?" he asks.

"I am," she nods.

Max nods slowly, he felt uneasy but at least he didn't have to ask her to come with him, he didn't feel he reserved the right to ask. Rios looks to her then back at Max, "Wait, so you're leaving me to command them too?" he asks.

Max turns to him, "You can handle it, Rios. I don't doubt your leadership abilities," Max says.

"Well, I've never lead a group of this size."

"Sergeant, days ago I was merely an N6 and now I command both an entire fleet and a Task Force. If I can do it then so can you lead a team of twenty-seven. Alright, let's move," Max waves for his team to follow. Annali sticks close to Max as do the others as they enter the hallway.

"Wait, I can't just-" before he could finish, the doors leading to the hallway close, cutting them off and leaving Rios to deal with the new compliment to his team, "Shit," awkwardly, he turns to face the Turian Marines, their face lit with uneasiness.

"This should be interesting," one of them says.

"Yeah… it is." Rios nods.

[

The halls where very eerie to the bone, the inside looked as though it was warped to give the impression of a haunted house; the walls were dimly lit with a deep green, lamps barely functional. The rumbling of explosions and gunfire could still be heard as the group continued down the halls, careful not to set off any potential traps that may have been rigged for them. They were close to the objective and he was expecting any resistance at this point. Time was on the clock and Max could only presume it wasn't long until Cromwell would try to escape. The price for treason against the Alliance isn't as humane as they wanted everybody to think.

Besides Capital Punishment, Max knew very well Cromwell couldn't have been the only one in charge here. It wasn't likely, there was someone else masterminding everything that had been going on here; from the anomaly in orbit to the exploitation of the security of the fleet. Cromwell was tenacious but it certainly took a carefully laid plan for something like the attack on the Kilimanjaro to nearly succeed. The question is; are his intuitions right? But there was more on his mind other than that. It was the thought of what would happen after this was all over. What was left of his relationship with Annali. Of their relationship.

His only guess would be to disappear from her life completely. Like he always did with the people he worked with on the field. They never really did see him after a mission and he made sure of it. This would be incredibly painful to do. He loved her so much and to just distance himself from her forever, to watch her fade in the distance without so much as looking back at him at least once. It was already clear in their last conversation on the Kilimanjaro what she wanted. And he had to respect her decision.

Annali was having the same predicament, unable to envision a future without Max. He taught her many things her parents could have taught her but with the death of her mother, who was to teach her anything. Without her mother, her father would become the drunk he was years ago although now she wasn't sure if he was still drinking. She had been gone for so long away from home the only family she talked to was her sister. Max helped her get past the grief of her mother's death and helped her open up more. He showed him there was more to life than just being stuck to a ship set to drift in space for trouble. Max was her escape from her old life and helped her forget it all with movies, jokes, games… sex. Fond memories of them together both warmed and hurt her heart. She had ultimately stated to him she didn't trust anymore. It was her hate speaking and she felt terrible for losing herself to the very thing Max had freed her from. She hated herself for that. She wanted to tell him she still loved him, she understood why he kept everything a secret from her and she wanted to let him know. She wasn't afraid to speak her mind.

Annali was right behind him, guarding his back for any ambushes. She sped up to catch up with him, her hand rising to reach his shoulder, to get his attention.

Max turned around to face her as they walked, his eyes looking down to meet hers. Annali's heart began to beat faster as she prepared herself to state herself, "Max…" she began to speak but before she could continue she saw a faint red line just in front of Max as they kept walking. Before she could warn him, Max passed through the red line.

*BWWONGG*

 ***INTRUDERS HAVE BEEN DETECTED ON UPPER-LEVEL 47E!***

 ***INTRUDERS HAVE BEEN DETECTED ON UPPER-LEVEL 47E!***

 ***INITIATING LOCKDOWN PROTOCOL!***

A robotic feminine voice sounded over the speakers. Immediately, the green lights switched to a blazing red as the alarms went off.

"Crap, double time, let's move!" Max ordered. Just as he relayed his orders a bullet whizzed by his head, missing him by just a few inches. Turning around, he saw a squad of Cerberus soldiers rushing them. Max and Annali quickly drew their weapons and picked off the incoming attackers just as they turned the corner, "We have to move, they must know whe-"

"WATCH OUT!" Annali tackled Max to the ground before two doors slammed shut right where Max was standing. The door separated Max and Annali from the rest of the squad, "We're cut off, are you alright?" she asks, checking him all around.

"I'm fine, don't worry," Max reassures her as he gets up.

"Squad, can you hear me?" Annali shouted at the door.

"We can hear you, but we'll have to meet up somewhere else *PWING* Shit, we're taking fire!" an Alliance soldier shouts, his voice slightly defeaned by the thick door in between them.

"Hold on, we'll find a way to get to you," Annali shouts.

"That may not be possible, we'll keep them here while you get to the objective," The soldier tells her.

"We're not leaving you here," Max shouts.

"Don't worry about us, Admiral. We'll buy you the time you need to get to the objective. Good luck, sir!"

*BOOM* [Gunfire continues]

Max stares at the door for a way to get through to them, sadly coming up with no such solution. Max grabs his arm and pulls him to her, "Max, we have to go… now, while they have them stalled," Annali explains to him.

Max shakes his head in frustration and picks up his M8, "*sigh* let's get going then," Max and Annali then begin heading toward the corner where the Cerberus soldiers came in from. Before Max could turn the corner, he was halted by Annali who grabbed him by the arm, "What?" he asks.

"You better check for any hostiles before you run out into the open, first," she warns him.

Max then carefully looks peeks his head slightly out of the corner and sees a row of heavily armed soldiers waiting for them to turn the corner, "Oof, that's a lot," Max says as he leans against the wall. There was an entire barricade set up with guns pointed in their direction. It was going to be tough to get through, head on, "I have an idea on getting through them," Max whispers.

"Shoot."

"When I tell you to, you're going to throw a grenade at their barricade. Then, I'll stun them with a flashbang-"

"Or I reach for that rocket launcher and you throw your flashbang when I dive for it," Annali pitches, her eyes locked on the weapon that was sitting against its former user before they gunned him down. It was in the dead center of the hall and it and any attempt to get it would be suicide.

"What? No, you'll be in their line of-"

"NOW!" Annali then moves with cat-like reflexes as she darts toward the rocket launcher.

"FUCK!" Max pulls the pin, nearly fumbling the grenade itself, and throws it with all his strength at the barricade.

The troopers see Annali move for the rocket launcher and begin to lock their sights on her but fail to notice the cylindrical explosive fly right into their little home.

*BANG*

The light and sound stuns their senses before they can even fire a bullet. At that point, Annali reaches the launcher and grabs it, rolling onto her back then getting up into a kneeling position. The troopers managed to recover but came to notice the Turian holding the launcher on her shoulders, her sight locked on them.

"Sayonara motherf-"

*FWOOSH*

The rocket blasted out of its tube at supersonic speeds, not giving the militants enough time to react.

*BOOM*

The barricade was torn to shreds as the rocket smashed through, fragmenting the metal and engulfing the troopers in a ball of fire. Once the smoke cleared, it was quite clear on who the victor was. Max let out a breath of relief, it was dangerously close. But they did it. They now had a clear shot to the command center. From there the elevator to the Command Center was down the hall. It was the only entrance and exit they had. To go around would just mean wasted time.

"Alright, let's move now. We made a hell of a lot of noise here, they know we're coming," Max says as he clips his M8 to his back, making a run for the elevator, Annali following just behind him.

Before the two could make it past the destroyed barricade, the elevator doors at the end of the hall open to reveal another wave of Cerberus troopers. At this point, there was no cover to be found for Max or Annali. Thinking quickly, Max saw two metal shields lying on the floor next to their former users, "Get behind me!" she shouted to Annali. Max picked up the shields as he ran by and hoisted them up in front of him, holding them together side by side.

"THERE! FIRE AT WILL!" the Cerberus Commander ordered.

Annali wasted no time getting behind him as the bullets began to rain on them. Max didn't let up as the bullets continued to deflect off the shields as he ran towards them. At this point, Max was going to ram straight through them in order to get to the elevator. Annali could barely see over him but managed to make out the wall of white blazing fire on them. She had no doubt Max would plow through them but they needed a way to guarantee their safety once they got to the elevator. Just then, an idea popped into her head. It was risky and she wasn't sure it would even work at all.

"Max, I need you to split the defense. Once you get into them, lean down a little so I can jump off your back," Annali tells him as she began pulling out some items from her belt.

"What?"

"Just do it when it comes to it," Annali shushes him.

Max didn't know what she was going to do but whatever it was he was willing to bet their lives on it. Max pushed himself faster in order to build more momentum to push through them. The bullets continued to pound the two metal shields, the projectiles bouncing off in different directions.

"Here it comes!" Max shouted as he prepared to plow through the crowd of Cerberus troopers. Annali managed to stuff as much of the tiny objects into both her hands just as Max shouted.

"Go for it!" she told him.

Max nodded and then broke their cover by throwing one of the shields towards the soldiers, knocking out a few in front of him and allowing him to use the last shield to cut the defense. Max was like a freight train, using his full body weight to push against the unlucky few that couldn't get out of the way. As he plowed through, Annali was quick to place a foot on his lower back and propel herself forward, spreading her arms out and spilling out various tiny black balls which bounced onto the floor and spread out. She managed to roll onto her back and slide into the elevator, quickly getting up and pulling out her dual pistols and fired on the troopers facing her. Max quickly broke through once she made it in and jumped in just as the elevator doors began to close. Max managed to take out his pistol and fired into the dazed and confused row of white. However, he wasn't quick enough to react when a downed soldier managed to land a shot at his helmet.

*Tsss*

"AHH!" Max's head flew to the side, his hand covering his helmet's faceplate.

"MAX!" Annali quickly finished off the soldier just as the doors closed. She then pulled out a cylindrical device and popped the cap on the top, pressing down on the revealing red button.

*BAROOM*

An explosion then went off on the other side, smoke pluming through the cracks. It seemed the elevator was constructed to resist explosions. Annali threw the detonator to the side and went to Max's aid, "Max are you okay?" she asked, frightened for his life. But he was still standing, his arm was merely supporting him against the wall while his other covered his faceplate, "Let me see," she tried to move his hand.

"I think I'll be fine, he just managed to blow out my visor," Max explains, revealing the shattered area. Small shards still remained but it wouldn't shield him from space if it came to it.

"That was a close one."

"Yeah, could've impaired my vision," Max says as he shakes his head, "What did you throw?" he asks.

"A few small compact explosives; able to wipe out a whole squad if used correctly. I had to use half of what I had, not much left," she explains.

"Better save those, don't know when we might need them," Max says as he stands up fully.

They were now on their way to the objective; the Central Base of Operations. It was now or never; they were short on manpower but they would have to do. They needed to act quickly, they knew their squad wasn't to stall the security forces forever. But how could they work together?

The ride served as a pot of regret and guilt; Max regretted not telling Annali everything that was going on if he had only worked up the courage to do so none of this would have ever happened. The deaths of several hundred servicemen and women could have been prevented. The death of Colt would have been a scenario that would have never happened. In turn, he would have never hurt so many families, they would be mourning all because of him. The most important of all people was Annali. He had turned everything that he was to her into the complete opposite. He was a man of lies to her. A vision he thought he would never erase from her mind.

Annali wished she could have taken back what she said on the Kilimanjaro but she couldn't, she spoke out of anger and frustration. To be told things she thought where true only to be told that they never were at all. But time and again, Max tried to mend his mistake but she continued to forgive him despite his pleas for a second chance. It only filled her mind with more self-hatred, torturing her own motives. There was time to talk after the mission but in her mind; what if there wasn't an after. Her thoughts would die along with her own body and she would never tell Max how much she still loved him.

Max was also thinking the same thing; he wanted to try one last time to redeem himself. Whatever happens after this he just wanted to let her know, "…A-… Ann-"

 ***Now reaching upper level***

The speaker notified them, cutting Max off and reminding him of their destination. He breathed a deep breath before saying, "Do you have enough ammo?" he asks Annali as he pulls out his M8

"Y-Yeah… but I only have my pistols to work with; I lost my rifle back in the hall. You can take my clips for yourself," Annali hands him four clips. Max takes them and clips them to his belt.

"I'm out of grenades and flashbangs, we'll have to make do here. Get ready," Max says as he aims down his M8 toward the door. Annali does the same as she points her pistol at the door, ready to take out any enemies.

 ***Upper level reached* *Bing***

The doors then open to reveal a large dark room illuminated by six different cauldrons of glowing green luminance; three on either side of the room. It was like a giant warehouse except it was made to hold the massive cauldrons. Pipes stretched all across the walls, dials signaling the pressures within, steam gushing out of the small cracks on them.

Max and Annali quickly stepped out and began scanning the area for hostiles, it was considerably dark for both of them; without their helmets to provide night vision, it was impossible to accurately make out any distinctive shapes. The only light they received was the light from the elevator behind them.

*CLASH*

The doors then slammed shut, taking away their own source of direct light, "Well there goes our nightlight," Max says looking behind them.

"Let's keep moving," Annali gestures, scanning the right side as Max scanned the left.

Together they moved towards the middle of the room, taking a careful approach when passing by the cauldrons. Its contents bubbling and creating a sloppy sound as though whatever inside it was being boiled.

"What the hell is this place?" Annali asks.

" **I am glad you asked,"** a deep voice resonated from the end of the room

Instantly, Max and Annali aim down their sights on the point where the voice came from. A dark, but visible figure appeared to be sitting at the end of the room. Two long curved horns giving its presence away. Annali looked to Max for guidance, his eyes catching hers. He made a two finger motion pointing toward the figure, signaling to her to approach it slowly. The two slowly stepped closer to it, their weapons trained on the figure.

"Whoever you are, give up. Your shield is down and your base is compromised. Surrender now and come quietly," Max orders.

His words seemed to bounce off the figure as it then spoke, **"Tsk, didn't take you to be the leader type… Maximillian Tereshkova. Especially, with your Admiral dead, I would have expected his successor to be more… assertive,"** the person states, revealing Max's name.

"Max, he knew your name," Annali looks to Max.

Max had an expression of confusion and shock, whoever this person was, he knew him well, "How the hell do you know my name?" Max asks, wanting to know more. The figure doesn't respond immediately, patiently sitting there and only further agitating Max, "Answer me!" Max nearly shouts.

" **You wouldn't know me… and neither would you Annali Veren, daughter of Maro'Len Veren,"** the person reveals.

Annali's eyes widen in shock but then are soon overcome with anger. Quickly, she pulls out her other pistol, holding both towards his head, "How… do you know… my mother…" Annali asks him in a cold and murderous tone.

The figure doesn't move but responds in a matter-of-factly tone, **"Who doesn't remember the famous Relay 314 Incident; the daily life in the Galaxy was forever changed with the introduction of the galactic society to Humanity… and the ever so rising tension between the two titans of power. Your species…"** the being then appeared to turn to Annali, **"-and hers…"** his hand appeared to rise toward her. The two look to each other, obviously aware of the tensions between their species. The Incident was still fresh in the minds of both Humanity and Turians, **"And yet, despite these tensions, you two managed to find a passion… for each other,"** the being revealed.

Max and Annali where both confused as to how he could have possibly known about them, "W-What the hell are you talking about? We're working together as a coalition, we're merely trying to be allies," Max plays dumb, trying to mask themselves but is quickly shut down as the person begins to laugh hysterically.

" **Do not take me as a fool, Max; I am very much aware of your relationship with Annali. I have my methods but I can see it in your eyes, you have already confirmed my suspicion. And so have you, I can see your blushes,"** the person calls Annali out. Max looks to Annali, he couldn't see the color change in the dark but apparently, the mystery person could easily tell.

"You have nothing to hold against us, whatever it is you're even talking about is nowhere close to accurate," Annali tells him coldly.

" **MMHAHAHAHA, you take me as a fool, you believe I do not know you when in fact I know every part of your life since the day you entered boot camp…"** the person taps at his Omni-tool, activating three giant monitors that hung over him, angled down toward Annali and Max. The left screen then reveals footage of Turians running through what looked like obstacle courses in all of their military gear. Then it slowed down just enough to make out every person that was running through and in that group was Annali running along with her fellow servicemen, her face stained with mud and dirt, a result of constant military drills through various terrains. Annali was in pure shock as to how he managed to capture the footage. On the right screen, it revealed Alliance soldiers in a firefight simulation on an alien planet; amongst those soldiers was Max firing his rifle at the enemy, his face perfectly captured by the cameraman. Max was purely shocked as to how he never noticed a single cameraman during his simulations. But then the mystery figure continue to speak, **"Since the day you entered boot camp I have watched you two, from the primal days of your military experience…"** he then tapped at his Omni-tool again, **"-up to the days when you first began experiencing… each other,"** the final screen in the middle then revealed a camera angle revealing a naked Annali, her back laid on top of the desk, her face full of lust and love as Max thrust into her. Annali's moans resonating throughout the halls, her squeals of delight getting louder and louder as Max pounded her into submission. At that point, Max was reaching his climax and so was Annali, her eyes squinted, her legs trying to cover her nether regions as climax soon overtook her mind. Max thrusts into her one last time, letting her body take his hot essence deep inside. The video then paused as Annali's tongue lolled out in pure delight. Both Max and Annali remembered that time in Annali's room but were both too shocked to even comprehend how this perverted mystery man even caught them in the act.

"You better have a good fucking reason why I shouldn't blow your fucking brains out right now you perverted piece of shit," Max then switched his rifle to automatic. His voice was now tense.

Annali then made sure her bullets where armor-penetrating because she wanted to make sure he didn't make it out alive. Her mind was filled with rage after what she just saw; no one in the right or wrong mind should ever have to see anyone's private life. This was now strictly personal to Annali, "You have five seconds to explain yourself before I put a bullet in your head," Annali threatened.

The person didn't move in the slightest, instead, he says, **"You're asking a very sensitive question, missy."**

"What you've seen IS sensitive information," Max states angrily.

" **Oh do not be so embarrassed… this is not the only act I have seen come from both of you,"** his last words then strike horror into Max and Annali's heart as he then reveals multiple other videos compiled into a compilation of them in bed, Max fucking Annali in various human poses all the while Annali was in pure bliss, not minding the strange poses so long as Max was fucking her silly. Row after row showed multiple times where Max and Annali had been getting together, each one reminding them of it. Neither of them could even move, their entire sex life was compiled into one hell of a playlist for them to see. The person sitting in front of them seemed to be enjoying their faces covered in pure shock, **"Seems as though you remember those times very well,"** the person stated, continuing on, **"You two have come to become my current interest in my experiment, or rather someone else's interest, I merely see this as a very mutualistic opportunity,"** the mystery person explains.

"Fuck your opportunity."

*BANG*

Max fires a shot at the person's head but then bounces off him and flies into the left screen. Max and Annali stare in shock as his shot makes no effect on him, "The hell?" Max says, his eyes in pure shock.

" **On the contrary, this opportunity will most definitely benefit both of us, whether you like or not,"** the being then began to stand up. Annali and Max's guns remained trained on the figure but became shocked as the head rose further up as he got up from his seat. The screens then revealed a new shape of the person in front of them; it seemed to be rather wide, the head seemed to be attached to the body closely, its shoulders were wide and its arms long and muscular. The torso made up most of the figure as it stood up, **"I am aware you know of my plans… of my experiments and the benefits that will come to your species,"** the creature stared at Max, its four eyes glistening in the backlight.

"Your 'benefits' have resulted in the deaths of thousands of innocent civilians; both human and alien alike," Max states, his rifle trained on the creature.

" **They are simply helping me conjugate those benefits into one single purpose… to better Humanity,"** the creature explains.

"You're no human that's for sure. Just what the hell are you," Annali states. The creature then grabbed his desk and ripped it out of the floor, tossing it to the side with incredible strength. This was no Krogan, he was far too big to be one. The creature then began stepping forward toward them, enticing Max and Annali to back away as he stepped into the glowing green light, its features now made it distinguishable. Annali's eyes widened in shock and confusion as she realized what it was, "By the Spirits… a Yagh," Annali states.

Max finally got a good look at the face, it was nowhere close to being Human; its mouth was made up of three slits merging together to form a mouth, sharp teeth littered every portion of the outside and inside of its mouth, showing that it definitely was a carnivore on whatever hellhole it came out of. Its four eyes giving it a more demonic look, "What the hell is a Yagh?" Max asks.

"A pre-spaceflight race; murdered a Citadel diplomatic envoy sent to make contact with their species. Their planet was placed off-limits for everyone's safety," Annali explains.

"Apparently, someone managed to snag one off the rock," Max says.

" **My species knows no better. With the right teachings, I was educated to learn and manipulate the mind-set's I now see in everyone. I only managed to achieve this level of status by my teacher's insight into your Human philosophies. Through him I came to know my new instructor. He taught me his vision for Humanity and so with my knowledge of metaphysics it was easy to get what I wanted,"** the Yagh began to move toward them, **"I wished to learn more about the biology of their kind along with the other races, I wanted to know what made them… 'them'. I then gave him my idea for advancing Humanity and as I predicted, he fell for it. And now, this is where all of my work comes down to, where all of my expertise narrows everything down to this very moment,"** the Yagh then turns to Annali, **"Now all that I ask of you is to surrender yourselves entirely so that I may finally see if my work is everything I had hoped for it to be,"** he states.

"And what would that vision be?" Max asks.

The Yagh then stops in between them and stares at Max, its mouth forming what Max could only describe being a menacing smile, **"A new sequence of DNA for you of my choosing,"** he answers. His body then began to glow a bright blue, his hands enveloped in a ghostly blue light.

"Oh shit, HE'S A BIOTIC!" Max tries to warn Annali but then the Yagh slams his hands down to the ground, creating a shockwave, launching Max and Annali to opposite sides of the room. Max is sent flying toward the wall as Annali slides across the floor. Max loses his rifle as it flies into one of the cauldrons, "Damn," Max quickly gets up and pulls out his pistol, taking aim at the Yagh but is met with a massive fist that rattles his head. The Yagh grabs the hand holding the pistol, lifting Max off the ground and throwing him away, "WOOAH!" Max yells as he's sent hurdling towards the destroyed desk.

Annali then gets up and picks up her pistols, taking aim and firing at the Yagh Juggernaut. The bullets bounce off to no effect, "Damn, armor-pen. isn't working," Annali says to herself. They were facing an incredible being with durability beyond belief and able to control his Biotic power. Whatever it was that was shielding him was mainly focused on blocking projectiles, "I'll have to get up close an personal. Annali was quick to react the Yagh launched a ranged biotic attack, flying by and hitting some objects behind her and causing them to float. She quickly made a run toward the Yagh, firing off shots in order to daze him a little.

" **RRAAGH!"** the beast swung his arms at her, attempting to backhand her with his massive arms but Annali was quick and nimble, able to dodge the swing and landing a punch to his side, **"NGH!"** the Yagh groaned but recovered quick enough to push her back with his gut and clasp his hand around her neck.

"Urk," Annali croaked as his hand tightly squeezed around her throat.

" **Pathetic insect, your people are just as manipulative; wanting more than others and easy to give in when offered a chance,"** the Yagh growled.

Annali tried to pry his hands from her neck but to avail, her legs only managing to kick the gut of the beast, "*hurk* I'm… ngh- not everyone… YAH!" she managed to deliver a blow up the chin with her foot and then landing a stunning blow straight to the face with both of her legs.

" **ARRGH!"** he growled in pain. His hand then let go of Annali, allowing her to fall freely to the ground.

"*cough* *cough*" Annali tried to get up but her lungs needed the air.

The Yagh was then standing over her, his body glowing blue with fury, **"You will make a fine addition to your peoples genetic material,"** the Yagh states as he began to reach for her.

"I beg to differ," Max states behind the Yagh. He turns around to face Max but is met with steel as Max swings it across his face.

*DOOM*

The Yagh flinches as the metal connects with his face, causing him to step away from Annali. Max swings again and again with the heavy objects, each hit connecting with the Yagh's face, and causing him to stumble back, "RRRAH!" Max tries to swing the object again but the Yagh catches it in his arm, tightly gripping the object. Max tries to pull it away from his grasp but is unable to shake it out.

" **You are very humorous, human,"** the Yagh stated. He then slammed the metal bar onto Max's head, causing Max to back off, his head rattling inside the helmet. The Yagh then swung the beam at Max, bending the metal and sending Max flying back to where he was, **"Your kind is unique, your genetic material is incredibly diverse, a multitude of different uses that can be forged once understood. Luckily, I have decoded every bit of your DNA down to the most minute[smallest] detail. I am able to change your sequence to act and appear as another species DNA, properly and flawlessly able to create a perfect match between another species. You wouldn't be able to tell the difference,"** the Yagh explains.

"And what did it cost? Thousands of my people to be slaughtered under your filthy hands!" Annali states, charging toward the Yagh.

" **A necessary action I needed to take, a very messy and entertaining action,"** the Yagh clarifies, his admittance showing no morality or compassion for his actions. His arms began to flare blew and engulfs Annali, lifting her off the ground and levitating her into his hands. But before he could even grasp her neck, Annali grabs his wrist, stopping herself from getting any closer, **"Who are you to destroy what I have worked so hard to obtain, you have no idea of the possibilities I have created,"** he then slams Annali into the metal floor, his fist smashing into Annali's armor, denting her chest piece and winding her.

"Oof," she gasps.

The Yagh raises his arms above his head, his hands glowing a bright blue. Before he could even drop his arms onto her, Max tackles him from behind, wrapping his arms around the Yagh's thick neck and tightening his hold as much as he could, "Back off her!" Max grunts as he summons every ounce of strength he could muster to try to block its airway.

" **You both fail to see your DESTINIES!"** one of the Yagh's arms rises up and clutches Max's helmet, completely ripping it off him and exposing his face. Then proceeding to clasp Max's shoulders and throwing him over to the ground.

Max slid across the room, his head hitting the metal grate beneath him. He was left on his stomach, his legs weak and tired, the right side of his face left scratched and bloodied after hitting himself on the grate, "ugh," he grunted, his arms trying their best to lift him up but to no avail. The Yagh had completely forgotten about Annali as he stepped over her, making his way towards Max. Max could see his feet just under his left arm as he managed to at least get on all fours. He needed to try and finish him off by any means necessary, his right hand reaching down to his leg.

" **You Humans, as a species, where meant to be upgraded, to be edited in such a way you would never need to rely on training your bodies to become stronger, faster, or more durable. Why do that when you can have the strength of a Krogan, the agility of an Asari, the smarts of a Salarian…"** the Yagh continued to explain, oblivious to the object Max had pulled out.

Max sensed he was right behind him and so he quickly got up with one leg and said, "I prefer the old-fashioned way, HYAH!" Max lunged his arm toward the Yagh, armed with a knife he stabbed the Yagh in the gut. For a moment, he thought he had managed to land a killer blow but one look at the Yagh's face was enough to say that he barely even penetrated his hide.

" **Oh but I insist you try,"** he swings his left arm to try and slap off Max but he manages to duck under it and juke to the left, reversing the blade to point toward the Yagh's body and jabs him again, no penetration.

The Yagh then lands a stunning punch across the right side of Max's face causing blood to spill from his mouth and stumble back. But before Max could fall the Yagh catches Max, grabbing him by the right shoulder and bringing him back to face him. At that point, Max had given up and attempts to stab him again, "RGGH!" he grunts, jabbing his knife into Yagh's gut but nothing seemed to get through to him.

" **Pitiful, weak humans,"** the Yagh's hands then begin to tightly clutch Max's armored shoulder, crushing the armor into itself.

"Rrrgh!" Max grunted in pain as the armor was bent inwards, stabbing him from the inside with its sharp ridges. Max's arm then felt slightly numb as the hand continued to crush his shoulder, "Nnngahh!" the pain was enough to make his knees buckle, his legs trembling.

" **A sad and disappointing creature you are; easy to break as a TWIG!"**

*SNAP*

"AAAAAGHHH!" Max screamed in utter pain as the Yagh crushed his shoulder with such force, breaking the bones in his shoulder, his head arching back as he screamed. The Yagh then let go of Max, letting him fall to his knees and clutching his limp arm. The Yagh's body then began to glow blue again, even more intensely than before. Max looked up as its arm prepared to land another blow to him. With the remaining strength, Max had he could only manage to get up with his left knee, just barely able to stand but was then met with a hard uppercut, sending him skidding across the floor toward one of the cauldrons, his head banging on the metal as he slid to it.

Annali turned onto her stomach and saw Max; bloodied and beaten, his face barely showing signs of any sort of life, his armor dented and ripped. She tried to get up but her chest was reeling in pain after that one hit. Her lungs could barely take in any air and she was left in a helpless position to provide aid, "Ngh… M-Max… get up… Rgh- you have to-" she tried to say. Annali tried to crawl to him, her arms slowly moving to pull herself forward but Max was so far away. He was at the complete mercy of the Yagh, towering above him.

" ***sigh* such a helpless creature; unable to heal themselves quickly enough, unable to save their own lives when it came to it,"** the Yagh bent down to reach for Max.

"Don't… Nnf- you fucking touch… him," Annali warns him through labored breaths.

" **How touching you still show sympathy for your partner, your loyalty to him has me wondering now…"** the Yagh picked up Max effortlessly by the collar of his suit, turning to face the battered and beaten Max. The creatures four eyes observed every detail of Max's body, an idea rising into though. The Yagh then looks behind Max to the glowing green Cauldron behind him, a menacing and demonic smile creeping over his face.

Annali could only watch as the Yagh stared at the Cauldron, her mind racing with ideas of what he planned to do. Only one realistic one came to mind. A horrible one, "W-What are you… going to do to him?" Annali asks, her voice afraid and weak.

The Yagh steps closer toward the Cauldron, peeking into the green bubbling sludge, steam emerging and flying into the air. The Yagh then looks to Max then back towards the green substance, **"A small experiment,"** the Yagh answers her. He picks up Max with both arms hoisting him up over the cauldron, then dangles Max over the green sludge, his feet mere inches from it.

"N-NO… don't, please! NGH!" Annali pleads with him, her hand outstretched to Max. She couldn't move much of her arms or legs, her armor had been bent inward and it was pushing against her sternum, "Please… don't…" she begged at that point.

The Yagh stared at Annali, its four eyes observing Annali's face, **"Your friend will make a marvelous test subject, all the others died within seconds of touching the concentrate. Perhaps, your partner will fare much better than they have,"** the Yagh begins lowering Max into the cauldron, his feet making contact with the green substance, a sizzling sound could be heard as the armor made contact with the bubbling liquid, **"Oh this will never do, the concentrate cannot soak through this. It seems you'll have to go all the way in my friend,"** the Yagh states as quickly submerges Max into the Cauldron, his head disappearing.

"NOOOO!" Annali screamed, her eyes beginning to flood with tears as Max is dipped into the sizzling tank. Bubbles emerge from the top as Max struggles to rise to the surface, his hand only splashing through the surface of the liquid. Annali could only watch in horror as Max is held under the liquid, the Yagh not seeming to let up any time soon, "Please, stop. You're going to kill him!" Annali manages to yell, tears streaming down her face.

" **Is he dead? Let's check,"** the Yagh then pulls Max out of the Cauldron mid-way, revealing Max's face all soaked in the glowing green substance.

"*cough* *gurgle* *HACK*" Max coughs up a load of green slime from his mouth, he hadn't anticipated being submerged and must've swallowed a lot of it. His hair and skin seemed to be steaming gases once he resurfaced.

" **Oh would you look at that, it seems he's fine; swallowing a little bit of boiling hot concentrate is a fine change of experiment,"** the Yagh dunks Max again into the cauldron, barely letting Max catch his breath.

"NO, PLEASE, STOP!" Annali screamed at him. Her anger and rage were rising quickly, forcing her body to surpass her pain and lent her the strength to get up on all fours, "STOP!" she demanded.

" **Very well,"** the Yagh complied. His arm then pulled Max out of the Cauldron, his appearance shocking both Annali and the Yagh.

"NGRAAAHH! AAHH!" Max screamed in pure agony as the substance burned his skin, his mouth leaking with the substance and his face de-hyrdated to point where he was given little if any food at all over the course of years.

"MAX!" Annali screamed for him. Max was near close to death as ever before and she couldn't do a damn thing about it.

" **My-my, you certainly are a fighter, Human. I'm impressed, I can only imagine what your capabilities are once the effects have settled in. One such change should be health regeneration, but that will only work with one of the other vials you belong with. The concentrate will alter you in such a way you may be unrecognizable to anyone. You will still have strands of Human DNA within you but you will always have the Genes of something else,"** the Yagh then threw Max's limp body across the room, stopping at the step to where his desk used to be.

Annali crawled over to Max, now getting a very terrifying view of his face; his skin had been tinted a light green and looked as though he had been left in the desert to die without any water or protection against the sun. Close to a mummy at this point. His mouth leaked a small amount of the green substance that had subsequently boiled him alive. His lips, dried and turned a dark purple. Max's hair was drained of its original color, taking on a darker shade of brown that Annali had not seen on another human before.

Annali shook Max to try and elicit a response, "Max? Max can you hear me?" there was no response, his eyes didn't move in the slightest under his lids. Annali was starting to panic, "Max, please, answer me. Don't go," Annali pleaded, tears falling and dripping from her eyes off her mandibles, splashing onto Max's cheek. She wanted to stroke his cheek but she felt that if she did her hands would easily scrape away his skin.

"*wheeze*" Max elicited a faint breath.

"Max?" Annali's eyes widen in surprise. He was still alive, but barely.

"Nnnngh," his breathing was incredibly faint, she could only conclude he was only just barely hanging on to dear life.

"By the spirits… you…" Annali grits her teeth, her hands clenching into fists, her body trembling in pure rage, "I swear… on my mother's honor… you will not live to walk out of this facility…" Annali stood up fully, slowly turning to face the demon in front of her, "-alive!" she snarls before making a dash toward the Yagh that had nearly killed her lover.

" **I futile attempt, Veren,"** the Yagh then let out a Warp attack, sending a blue ball of energy surging toward the Turian attacker. Annali jumped over it and quickly dived to avoid another, quickly rolling to her feet the sliding down under the Yagh. With sharp reflexes, Annali grabs Max's knife from the floor and manages to slice through the suit protecting the Yagh's leg joint, crippling the Yagh. He then swung his arm behind him, hoping to catch Annali off guard but instead Annali ducked under it and cut the remaining leg, making sure she jabbed it in deep enough to render it immobile. Her plan worked as the Yagh was now on his knees, **"YOU DISGRACEFUL PIECE OF CARBON JUNK!"** the Yagh barked. He then launched another Warp attack but was quickly countered as Annali took his hand, twisted it under him, and kicks the joint of his wrist.

*CRACK*

" **RAAGHH!"** the Yagh screamed in pain. Annali quickly climbed up over the Yagh, grabbing onto his horns and pulling him back. Annali then pulled out her pistol and began firing into the back of his head, his shields bouncing off her bullets but Annali was committed to getting his shields off. Endlessly, unloading clip after clip into him, she wasn't going to stop until his shield had been worn out. At this point, she clipped in her own explosive rounds, her rage beginning to peak.

"This is for the lives of the innocents you've taken!"

*BANG*

"This is for the families you have destroyed!"

*BANG*

"This is for the futures you've taken from them!"

*BANG* *BANG* *BANG*

"All of the pain!"

*BANG*

"All of their cries!"

*BANG*

"All of their souls!"

*BANG*

The shield began to crack with every shot, Annali was so close until her pistol ran dry. But she wasn't stopping there, "FOR THEIR FAMILIES!" she clubbed him with her pistol, each hit getting stronger than the last, "FOR THEIR CHILDREN!" she pummeled the Yagh with every ounce of strength she had. Finally, her anger and fury was meeting its end and she pulled out Max's knife, raising it above her head and glares down at the Yagh, "THIS IS FOR MY MOTHER!" she shouted at the top of her lungs, bringing down the blade upon his head and passing straight through the shield, the blade burying deep into the Yagh's skull.

" **AAARRRGHH! HURAAARGHH!"** the Yagh snarled painfully, his arms were flailing in all directions, eventually knocking Annali off his shoulders.

Annali fell just behind him, her head hitting the metal but not so hard. She watched as the Yagh attempted to find the small blade wedged into his head but to no avail. An idea then popped into Annali's head. The Yagh wasn't getting off so easy, she was going to make sure he didn't ever walk the face of Chasca ever again. Reaching into her pouch she pulled out the cylinder holding the tiny grenades she used down near the elevator. Clutching it tightly she sprinted toward the screaming Yagh. Jumping her foot met his hips, allowing her to jump higher and able to clutch his head horns. She pulls herself up, forcing the Yagh to arch his head back and eliciting his mouth to open. Annali continues to pull on his head until her head is over his. She stares into the Yagh's eyes, giving him her final words to him, "This is for Max," she then threw the Cylinder into his mouth, causing him to cough but still swallow the cylinder. She then jumped off him, making a backflip and then rolling into a kneeling position. The Yagh turns to face the Turian only to see her holding another device with a red button on the top, "Boom."

*Beep*

*BARROOM!*

A ball of fire suddenly blasts out of the Yagh's gut, blowing him entirely into smaller chunks of himself. Annali shielded herself from any organic debris that would hit her but thankfully only received a few pints of blood. Lowering her arms she saw the gore that she had created. The lower half of his body was splayed out across the floor, his insides had flown to different areas of the room; intestines, stomach, something that could've been a Kidney. Surprisingly, his top half survived the blast, the remains had been blown far apart from each other. There was no way he was ever coming back.

With little time to lose, Annali quickly made her way to Max, kneeling down next to him, "Max… Max are you still with me?" Annali asks, afraid he had passed away.

"Nngh… Annnn-" Max attempted to say her name but came short of a few labored wheezes.

"Yes-yes, I'm here. I'm right next to you," she told him.

Max eyes managed to open a little but could only open up to a slit, "Ann… I g-gu…" Max tried to speak something but his lungs weren't providing enough air to allow him to speak.

"Shh-shh, you don't have to speak. Just… hold on, I'll call for help," Annali tells him. She opens up her Omni-tool and voices herself on all channels, "This is Officer Veren, I need immediate evac at the Central Command Center. Admiral Tereshkova is in need of immediate medical assistance; status: critical! I repeat Admiral Tereshkova is in critical condition, I need immediate medical assistance, now!" She shouted into the comms.

" _ **Copy that, we're already on en route to your location. We won't be long, Rios out!"**_ Rios confirms.

Annali moves her arm to shut her Omni-tool off but finds something is grasping her wrist. It was Max, "You can move?" she asks, a bit taken back.

"N-Nah… I c-caa… s-sseee…" at that point Annali made out what he said. He couldn't see and it only frightened her more when she saw his pale grey eyes. They were no longer filled with his natural chocolate color. Annali began to tear up, feeling so guilty and sorry for Max, he had lost his ability to see and could barely move his arm, "W-wheerr… *wheeze* arrre wwwee…" he whispered.

"We're still here in the Command Center, I already took care of that monster once and for all. There's nothing to be worried about anymore," Annali explains to him, still gripping his hand tightly.

"Mmm… at lea-aast he… hhhelped… y-you…" Max whispered.

"Helped me? How?" Annali asks, taken back by his words.

"Y-you… donnn't… ha-havvee t-ttoo… ss-sseeee mmeeee…e-eevverr… a-ag… -ain," 'You don't have to see me ever again' Max said to her. He had done Annali a favor, no longer having to see him again. He would never cause her or anyone else any pain forever. But Annali took it another way. She didn't want him to leave her ever.

"No, you promised you wouldn't leave me… ever *sniff*" Annali's tears started to pour.

Max wasn't able to move much of his face but still managed to form a surprised expression, "Y-you… s-s-stiiilll…?" Max began to ask before Annali nodded.

"Yes, I still love you, with all of my being. I love you, Max. I always have and always will, I'm not leaving you," Annali told him, after all this time she finally told him what she wanted to tell him all this time.

Max's mouth formed a weak smile, his eyes trying to find her in his blindness, whispering, "I-I… h-hhadd… a-a fff-feeeling… *cough* abo-out…." Max whispered, his lungs only able to support a few words at a time.

"You had a feeling about what?" Annali asks.

"L-Look… uup…" Max's hand fell limp from Annali's hand as his last breath escaped from his mouth.

*SLAM*

The side of a wall suddenly explodes, sending shrapnel in all directions, "Admiral, Veren, are you okay?" Sgt. Rios and his team rush through the opening, quickly finding Annali kneeled down to Max's side, "Veren are you… my god," Rios stopped just a few feet from reaching them, one quick glance was enough to silence, his face in pure horror. The rest of the team also stare in awe at their fallen commander, the Turian soldiers awkwardly looking away but could not help but to stare at their former Admiral, "C-Can we get a medic here?" Rios calls behind him.

"Yes, sir, I'm here… holy sh-"

"How about you quit staring and get to work!" Rios hollers.

"Yes, sir, my apologies," the medic then rushed to Max's, Annali got up slowly to give him the space he needed. She could not hold her tears at that point, she couldn't hide from anyone anymore. Barely holding her cries, she turned away from Max not being able to see him anymore. She had lost her only love, the one who had taught many important things; to love over hate, to care over ignorance, to forgive rather than fight. Annali loved Max beyond words. He was her soulmate. And he was gone.

Max's last words left her confused, 'look up' was all he said. He was trying to tell her something but nothing bothered to click. Was it something he told her once, something she was supposed to remember? Or was it something he wanted her to do? Annali began to look up but then something caught her eye; an orange glow was emanating from the ripped up floor of where the desk used to be. She reached over to grab it and found it was Max's Omni-tool. She pressed the orange glow and a small message revealed itself to her, _'Download Progress Canceled: 27%'_ It then clicked; Max must've taken advantage of the fight to leave his Omni-tool to download whatever files it could from the mainframe. It was really slick of him to do that. That was Max thinking ahead of the mission. Annali smiled in response to his deviousness but unfortunately, they didn't have the time to wait and get the rest of the data. What was on his Omni-tool would have to suffice.

"Sir, his vitals are critical. If we have any chance of saving him we need to get him to a hospital immediately. The Kilimanjaro's Med-Center doesn't have the necessary equipment to stabilize him so we have to move quickly," the medic informs.

"Noted, Rios to Kilimanjaro; requesting emergency medi-evac to the hangar. Admiral Tereshkova has been severely injured and is in dire need of Medical Assistance. How copy?" Rios talks into the comms.

As Rios talks with the Kilimanjaro, Annali notices something move out of the corner of right eye. Looking to the Yagh's blown up remains she is shocked to see the upper half was still moving. He was still alive. Annali makes her way over to the carcass, standing over him and seeing his arm reaching over to his left wrist, "Still alive, huh?" Annali asks.

" ***gurgle* this is… not o-over… it is merely… RRGH!- the beginning…"**

*DEET*

His arm quickly falls back after clicking his Omni-tool, a red light flashing on and off. Annali looks back at the Yagh, his eyes locked on hers, **"The beginning of the end… for us, all…"** with that the Yagh's head relaxed and fell back to stare up at the ceiling. Annali was left confused with the Yagh's last words until her train of thought was interrupted.

 ***COPPERHEAD PROTOCOL INITIATED!***

 ***CORE MELTDOWN IN PROCESS!***

The speaker's announced. The screen was then replaced with a timer.

 ***TIME TO COMPLETE CORE MELTDOWN IN T-MINUS 3 MINUTES!***

"Spirits, he's going to take the whole base down with us!" Annali states.

"Fucking hell, ALL AIRBORNE UNITS PREPARE TO MAKE THE JUMP TO FTL! THIS BASE IS GOING NUCLEAR!" Rios shouts into the comms.

" _ **Acknowledged, recalling all units to their shuttles!"**_ a radioman acknowledges.

" _ **Transmission received, recalling units immediately!"**_ Caepraka's voice came over.

" _ **All units report back to cruiser!"**_ Linnius orders.

"Do we have shuttles to pick us up at the hangar?" Rios asks over the comms.

" _ **Shuttles have been sent to pick you up at hangar but they won't be there for long, we're getting massive radio emissions coming from the ground and it's messing with their shuttles mainframes. I suggest you get moving, Sergeant!"**_ the radioman then cuts off.

"Alright, we have to move fast if we're going to catch the shuttles in time," Rios states.

Annali turned to face Rios but then something caught her eye, the cauldron close to the Yagh's body was labeled _Human STEM._ She then read down below from the label to some instructions. From what she could understand from Human lettering, it said, ' _Twist capsule clockwise for sample. Counter-clockwise to detach capsule. Usage: strictly limited to Humans.'_

Annali then grabbed hold of one of the three capsules; turning it clockwise, she saw the glass capsule being filled with the apparent 'STEM' sample. It was oddly warm once it was filled to the brim, it almost disgusted her, in fact, it was completely revolting as it filled the capsule. The machine then automatically cut off the stream, signaling with a green light she was allowed to take it. Turning the capsule the other way, it came off relatively easy from the caulron. She observed it briefly before putting it in her belt pouch. Whatever it was, it was going to shed light on Cerberus's experiments and the Alliance would finally have the evidence to convict them for the crimes against the people of the galaxy. Before she turned back to Rios, she decided to take a Turian sample, just out of curiosity's sake. Once she had obtained the sample, she turned to Rios.

"Rios, what about Max?" Annali asks.

Rios turns back to face Annali, "Veren, I'm not even sure he'll live long enough to make it back to the Kilimanjaro. If anything he'll be dead weight," Rios explains.

Annali's eyes suddenly furrow angrily and she grabs Rios by the collar, pulling him close to her face, "We are NOT leaving Tereshkova here to a fiery demise. You of all people should have respect for your superiors, especially since he's stuck out for you all this time. You are in no position to leave someone who has gone far and beyond to protect his family," Annali growls. The rest of the team stare at Annali for her sudden outburst. Realizing she had snapped, she then lowers Rios back to the ground, forgetting she was much taller than Rios, she hadn't realized her own strength.

"I'm sorry, Veren. But… we are running out of time. It'll take us 6 minutes to get there if we bring him with us," Rios sadly tells her, still unmoved by Annali.

Annali's brows furrow, snorting as she turned to kneel down to Max; taking his arm and swinging it around her neck, she then hoisted him up but Max being so heavy made it hard for her to move effectively, "Any of you care to help?" she asks looking at the team. They only stared at her, unsure whether to go against Rios's orders or to keep to themselves. Seeing as no one moved to help her Annali only stared at the blown hole in the wall, "Fine, I'll do it myself," she started to move toward the hole but was heavily encumbered with Max's weight, she would never make it to the hangar in time. They only had two and a half minutes left and the timer was going down fast. But she owed so much to Max she wasn't willing to leave him behind. She would carry him until she couldn't anymore. She was willing to die trying to get Max to the shuttles.

Suddenly the load felt lighter and she could suddenly move a little faster as if Max had suddenly stood up by himself. Looking to her right she saw an Alliance soldier wrap Max's arm around his neck, picking Max up and lightening the load for her. Annali then recognized it was the scout that accompanied her and Young down to the Cerberus wall, "Need some help?" he asked. Annali couldn't see it but she knew behind his helmet he was smiling. Annali smiled in return, of course, and nodded for his kindness.

"Thank you," she whispered.

"No problem, mam," the soldier then moved a bit faster, quickly getting Max through the hole in the wall and leaving Rios and the team behind.

The team members all looked to Rios, waiting for his orders, "Orders sir?" one of them asked.

All Rios could do was shake his head and sigh, "*sigh* we're all gonna die… come on," Rios waved for them to run after them.

As Annali and the soldier carried Max through the hole, they were suddenly surrounded by the team, "What the-?"

"Everyone, hoist him up over your heads, carry him like you would a boat and run like hell!" Rios orders. The team then took Max from Annali and the soldier, gently hoisting him up over their heads, as if they were offering his body up as a sacrifice.

"I thought you weren't going to take him with you? Why the change of heart?" Annali asks.

"At this point, If I'm going to die then it'll be under good conscience. Now, let's get the hell out of here before they leave our ass in the dust," Rios says, then leading the way through the gaping hole they had blown through. Annali then runs with Rios as he guides them through the halls. The walls were blaring with horns and red lights as the speaker continued to countdown.

 ***T-MINUS 1 MINUTE AND 47 SECONDS TO COMPLETE CORE MELTDOWN!***

"Come on, haul ass everyone!" Rios yells.

"Try not to move him too much, it'll only quicken the death process," the medic informs, trying hard to keep up with the group.

"He'll be dead anyway if we don't make it to the Kilimanjaro," Rios argues, "Come on we're nearly there, the hangar is just straight ahead," Rios states as he rushes ahead. The group then reaches the Hangar entrance, "Alright, the shuttles should still be here so-" as the doors open, they are given and unwelcoming sight; the shuttles were under heavy fire from Cerberus forces as they had managed to sneak past Rios and tried to take the shuttles by force. Alliance troopers were on the ground doing their best to fend off the attackers until they had arrived. Unfortunately, the loud doors didn't mask their entrance, getting the attention of Cerberus forces to then turn on them, "Shit, everyone take cover!" Rios shouted. The soldiers that were holding Max then quickly lowered him and brought him behind some crates, Annali was already by his side.

"Don't worry, we're going to get you out of here Max, just hold on," Annali pleaded.

Max's eyelids then twitched a few times before opening, his mouth sucking in what little air it could. He was still here. Through Max, all he could feel and hear was a constant echo of voices and various other sounds; gunshots, people shouting. He tried moving his arm but couldn't even tell if he had it anymore. His legs felt numb and swollen, in fact, he couldn't move at all. His skin felt as though it had been burned completely off. What panicked him, even more, was he couldn't even see. He knew he was blinking but all he could see was darkness all around except for a small blurred light in front of him. He couldn't make out anything, even if he tried his mind couldn't even focus on one thing. The world felt as though it was rocking him in all directions. As if he was stuck in a spinning tunnel.

The only familiar voice he recognized was that of Annali. He could hear her warm and sweet voice, cooing to him, ' _everything was going to be alright'_ everything was going to be alright.

" _Everything is all right… it's… all right…"_ Max repeated, his deliriousness drowning out all sense from his mind completely. His thoughts were all he could hear clearly but even that was echoed out.

He then felt his arms move without his knowing, he was being moved by someone, or rather, a bunch of people; someone had his legs. His arms were clasped into a tight grip, he could have struggled to escape but he was far from trying anything at all, _"weeeeeeeeeeeeeee…"_ he lazily let out in his head. He then blacked out, his lungs unable to carry oxygen to him anymore. His mind only able to register the sounds around him.

 _Move forward… *gunfire* we're almost there…. *BOOM* WATCH THE FLANK!..._ _ **T-MINUS 56 SECONDS! CORE MELTDOWN IMMINENT!**_ _... GET HIM ONTO THE SHUTTLE!... Get us out!..._ _ **36 seconds to Core Meltdown!**_ _... *RUMBLE*… Watch the starboard side!... *BOOOOMMM* *RUMBLE*….. 6 seconds to Kilimanjaro!..._ _ **Where are we headed?**_ _..._

 _The Citadel_

[

 **Hey guys, it's me. I'm back after finally getting my new laptop. I decided to go all out and buy a high-performance laptop since those seem to be better at what they do. Better processors so I can listen to music and write on the fly. This took me two weeks to finish up plus an extra day to edit the mistakes. I have to admit, I did rush this because I really wanted to get more into the good stuff but perhaps it's better to take your time and think about your story so you don't leave out anything important like informational dialogue.**

 **Besides that, I hope you like the story and its direction in the universe, there's more to be told about where things will go from here.**

 **Anyways, I'll get started on the next installment and I will catch you guys later. As always…**

 **Have a nice day** **ᕕ** **(** **ᐛ** **)** **ᕗ**


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

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"PHMMAAAAAHH! GRAHH!" Max suddenly jerked himself out of sleep but then taken back down as a sudden unbearable pain tortured his body in every part.

"Whoa-whoa, calm down, Mr. Tereshkova. Don't move too much, you'll sever your nerves from the sudden movement so please take it easy now," A feminine voice warned him, gently pushing him back on the warm and cushiony surface Max was laid on.

Max hadn't calmed down, his arms felt incredibely tense, he was so confused, where was he, and how did he get here. Wherever it was he was in. Breathing heavily, Max asks, "W-Where am I?" he asks, suddenly finding it easier to breathe and speak. The last thing he remembered was he could barely speak at all and couldn't even tell what a damn thing was going on.

"Sir, you're merely suffering from trauma. Please, lay back down, your surgical wounds haven't fully healed yet so I would kindly ask if you relaxed yourself. You've undergone a vast amount of surgeries," the nurse explained.

But Max wasn't interested in what they did to him what mattered to him was, "Where… the hell… am I? Where's Captain Caepraka and Linnius? Is the Kilimanjaro fine?" Max continued to ask, wanting desperately to know if they succeeded or not.

"Sir, please calm down, you're going to-"

"I said where is the Kilimanj- Ugh," Max's head suddenly felt light-headed. He let himself fall back onto a pillow, his chest heaving heavily in exhaustion.

"Please relax mister, your veins are still new and aren't used to handling the surge of blood going through if your heart paces quicker," her words caught him completely off guard. Not only would she not tell him but he still couldn't see. His hands raised to touch his face but then felt a fabric blocking him from making contact.

"What the hell is this?" Max asks.

"It's your head bandage from surgery a few days ago. It will take some time to-"

"What? Days? B-but… I was just… how long have I been out?" Max then began to struggle again, his arms blindly trying to find a way out.

"Sir, it's nothing to be worried about," the nurse tried to explain but Max wasn't having it.

"I need to find… her. Where is she? I have to…" Max began to scootch his way out of the bed despite the nurses attempts to keep him there.

"Sir, you're not cleared to stand yet. I need help in room B33, the patient is awake!" the nurse warned into the comms.

Before Max could fully set foot on the floor the doors opened to a few unknown persons, "Sir, you're going to have to go back to your bed. The doctor will be in shortly to discuss everything with you," A gruff male voice spoke.

Max felt some hands grab him by the arms and begin to pull him back, "N-No, I have to check on Veren… Where's Veren?" Max asks.

"We'll see if we can find her but you have to relax for your own sake. Your muscles haven't fully developed yet," the voice explained.

"W-Wait, 'developed'? What about my muscles?" Max began to ask more hesitantly. He was already aware he had surgery but… what kind of surgery did they give him? His fingers twitched and spasmed, his nerves sensitive to sudden stimulation he was receiving. Max wasn't sure as to how to react, the nurse had mentioned it was days since his last surgery and it only felt as though it had been a few hours, at least it felt like it. He couldn't tell, for a while he didn't think a single thought, never felt or heard a thing. For a while, he wasn't sure if that was death or something else entirely.

"The head doctor of your operations will come shortly, just hang tight, sir," the man assures Max.

Max slowly nodded, deciding to wait for answers rather than rush them with questions. A few minutes went by before Max heard the door unlock then open. He could hear the step coming from the right of the room but a few feet in front of him. He could hear whispers as the person walked in, discussing something with the others in the room with him. Deciding not to interrupt he waited patiently until the person whom he had assumed was the Doctor finished the conversation. Various footsteps could be heard fading in the distance before being completely shut out by the door closing, "Hello, Mr. Tereshkova. I am Dr. Murrillo Gupta, I was specifically selected along with various other surgeons and doctors to bring you back up to stable health. Now, I'm sure you have many questions so I will go off by answering as many as I can," Gupta explains.

Max nods in understanding, swallowing nervously before asking, "Ok, sounds good. Where am I?" Max asks.

"You are in the special care of Huerta Memorial Hospital, I'm pretty sure you know where that is," the Doctor states.

"The Citadel," Max confirmed.

"That's right; your fleet came in hurry and we barely had enough time to register them. Two of them were on fire and smoking. They're still undergoing repairs from what I've heard. Once they docked you were rushed immediately to the emergency room along with a few other injured servicemen and women. There we placed you into Cryo-stasis until we got all the information we could from your colleagues. We decided to the best course of action for you and laid out the plan to, how should I say, bring you back to life if you will," the Doctor explained.

"Bring me back to life? How do you mean?" Max asks.

"Well, to put it to you straight, you were, what we called, Clinically Dead. Meaning, your heart wasn't beating at all, your blood wasn't flowing and your brain wasn't receiving any signals from the body. You were as dead as dead can be. When you were given to me I thought, 'This man cannot be saved,' but a Turian friend of yours gave me something that ultimately saved your life," the Doctor explained.

"And how long did it take for me to… you know," Max hinted himself.

"Well, I would say this was a great undertaking; many sleepless nights went into you. If you're asking how long you've been here then, uh, don't be surprised but you've been dead for a total of two weeks. That's how long it took for us to regenerate your entire body; clone and transfer new organs, replace severely damaged blood vessels, and a new heart. So the one inside of you isn't yours," the Doctor clarified.

"Whose is it?" Max asks.

"A donor, of course, the person who donated it was a fit athlete and simply died of an accident. Thankfully, he was signed as an Organ Donor. Unfortunately, he was rather young, very young, too early to even make it out of college. His parents were at least glad his body could serve use to a veteran."

Max felt a wave of sorrow, looking down at his chest without his vision but sensing someone else's heart giving him life. Another life was given to him by the loss of another, an unfair exchange but sometimes life just becomes unfair, a series of unfortunate events can sometimes lead to a saved life. Max gently clutched his chest with his right arm in consideration to the person's family, "Well, you tell them I am very thankful. And tell them I am deeply sorry for their son's loss. I know what it's like to lose someone close to you, someone, who's worked hard to get to the top only to disappear at the prime of their life," Max asks of the doctor.

"I will. Any other questions?"

"You mentioned it took you two weeks to revive my body… how long-"

"You're asking what we did after that?" Max nodded slowly, "Well, it was even complicated for us because once we figured out what happened to you and what you were exposed to, my supervisors quickly called me to help with your operation along with several others who specialized in Xenomedicine, Neuroscience, Cardiovascular anatomy, Human biology, Turian Biology, and many more. You were one hell of a project; your body was so fragile that with any sudden movement would dislocate your joints what with your muscles severely deteriorated. Your ACL was disintegrated by the looks of it. And don't get me started on your blood," the Doctor explained, partially disgusted at the end.

"What about my blood," Max asks.

"We'll… talk about that later with your apparent insurer. She's the one who's paying for your operation costs," The Doctor explains.

"Is she with the Alliance. Are they aware of my status?" Max asks.

"The Alliance is definitely aware of your status but the person they are collaborating with is not of the Alliance. They sent a few of their officers to check on you and gave me instructions to notify them once you were awake," The Doctor explains.

"But who is my insurer. Shouldn't the Alliance be covering me?" Max asks.

"We'll get to that but you must be wondering about why you have bandages covering your eyes," the Doctor presumes.

"I was wondering about that yeah," Max nods.

"Well, to put it bluntly, you were blind. Your eyes looked as if they made contact with something hot and it ultimately disintegrated your cornea down to the pupil, rendering it useless. Until I was introduced by your friend to an unknown substance. It was what saved your life in the end once we found out its immediate use through the intel that was discovered about it. It was strictly assigned to be used on Humans. However, I wasn't given the full disclosure of how it came to be made, they were very silent on that. The substance that was given to us had some unimaginable effects on you; it quickly repaired any damaged tissue as if it knew what was needed to be fixed and how it was supposed to be molded. We injected it into several parts of your body but had to stop as your body started to reject the miracle substance. I was then introduced to another substance, one that calmed your body and began to strangely work with the first substance that was used to repair several damaged areas. We still have the vials, they're only half empty since we used 20% of it to verify it was safe. In total, if we add the weeks it took to revive you then the time to stabilize your body to accept the drugs… I would say it's been over a month since you got here. It's June 28th," The doctor explained.

Max's heart dropped after what he had just told him, his heart began to beat faster and faster, the heart monitor next to him began to beat faster, "What? A month? T-That can't be, I've only been out for… fuck," Max's breathing began to speed up, panic was rising in his chest and he could control it.

"Max, please, calm down, your lungs are still delicate and healing. I need you to calm down right now before you puncture a long," The doctor tried to explain. But Max wasn't calming down at all, he had been dead for two weeks only to be asleep for over a month. He couldn't believe the time had passed so quick and he wasn't there. He wasn't even alive, "Max calm down (damn it) I need help here!" The doctor called. A few people came in and held Max down as he tried to force himself out of bed, "Jal'line get him to calm down," the doctor told an Asari.

On the other side of Max's bandages, a light-blue toned Asari's hand glowed a faint blue, her hand nearing Max's head to entice him to go to sleep. Before she could even touch Max, the doors opened as Annali stepped inside, "Wait!" she shouted over them, stopping the Asari from putting Max to sleep, "Let me talk to him," she asks.

Max then heard her ever so familiar voice reach his ear, his arms relaxing and breathing slowing down, "A-Ann… Annali?" Max calls to her, unsure if he heard her or not.

Annali made her way over to Max's right side, the doctors and nurses backing off to let her through. Annali pulls up a chair and gently places her bare hand on his arm, "Yes, it's me, I'm here," she answers closely to his ear.

Max's heart then slowed down to a normal pace as her voice soothed him, he genuinely felt as though it had been years since he last saw her. Which was back on Chasca. Nevertheless, he was filled with relief as her voice confirmed her well-being, "I'm glad you made it out," Max tells her, his left hand trying to find her face. Annali happily guided it to her, letting his hand relish in her warmth.

"Well I'm glad you're alive, after all this time I beginning to think you were never going to wake," her voice began to crack. Max could feel her tears cascade down to his hands, it tickled the back of his hand, leaving a watery trail as it dripped from his palm to the bed.

"We'll leave you two alone," the doctor stated, gesturing to the others to follow him out. Once they had all left, the door shut and locked, leaving the once divided lovers together.

Max was the first to speak, "How do I look?" Max asks.

Annali giggles through her tears, wiping them away before responding, "After all this time, that's what you ask?" she asks.

"Well after what the Doctor told me about what he and some others did to me, I'm very curious as to what I look like now," Max began to feel his arm, feeling less muscle, "What did they do?" Max asks, blindly looking Annali's direction.

"Well, *sniff* I wasn't there to witness it but what they told me was that your muscle structure had been severely damaged and was detailed as 'beyond repair'. Your muscles were completely useless and if they didn't regrow new ones then you wouldn't be able to move if you ever woke. That was when saving you was hypothetical," Annali explained.

"So all of my…"

"Yes, the doctor explained they had to… uh…" Annali hesitated to continue but went on, "They had to completely strip every ounce of muscle from your body before regrowing everything again. I could only imagine what it was like inside the room," Annali shivered at the thought.

Max was only glad he wasn't around to experience it, "You know… he told me they used some sort of substance, saying that it saved me in the end. What was it?" Max asks.

"I'll explain that later, it was against the doctors own orders but he eventually gave in and used it to quickly regenerate all of the lost tissue that was in your body. Though we had to use another serum that left some side effects. The doctor hasn't told me yet," Annali explains.

Max nods understandingly, swallowing audibly and then asking, "How is the fleet?" Max asks.

"The fleet is fine; the Trianis and Victrition are still under repairs while the Kilimanjaro suffered only moderate damage but otherwise she's fine," Annali tells him.

"That's good, are the crews still here or…" Max begins to ask.

"Not everyone; they were all given leave to go home to their families especially the Trianis and Victrition. Caepraka and Linnius are still here, overseeing the repairs of their cruisers. Young and Smith are also here too though I wasn't aware they had a residence here as well," Annali explains.

"Mm," Max nods. The room falls silent as Annali lets Max think to himself. She was aware Max was awake when they notified her in the waiting room as she was talking to someone. She had never cut out off a conversation like that and she was going to have to explain to her CO why she suddenly cut her off. But none of that mattered to her, what mattered to her most was Max was alive and awake. A month on edge left her very emotional, every night she had hoped to wake to some good news for Max but the only thing that came on was the news of Citadel repairs and nothing new.

Annali then rests her head on Max's arm, taking in his new scent. He smelled of sanitation and that always familiar Hospital cleanliness. But for some reason, she could still smell some faint traces of his old scent. Max's hand touched around to find her head but eventually found it, gently caressing her cheeks, faintly tickling her soft chin. Her head moved to give his hand more room to rub her soft spot. Max happily obliged and tried his best to keep his fingers from twitching too much. His body was still getting used to the newly forged appendages that were regrown for him. He wished he could see the outside world but for now, everything was shrouded in darkness, with the exception of his imagination creating figures in the sea of black.

"I missed your touch," Annali says, her eyes happily closed as she relished in his touches.

"I guess it has been a while. Just wish I could get up now," Max tells her.

Annali looks down at his legs; they were skinny and pale as the new skin still needed to mature. The STEM serum worked like a charm, regrowing almost every lost part of his body, dead or tainted, it brought them back to life. She wasn't going to tell him so as to not panic him, it would be better when Gupta would explain it.

The doors began to unlock and in came Dr. Gupta himself, "If, uh, you're done now, I would like to speak to Max about the surgeries in my office," he politely asked.

"Very well, I will gladly help and accompany him," Annali nodded as she gently got up from Max's embrace.

"You don't need to Officer Veren, the nurse will-"

"It's okay, Doctor, I insist. I'll take him with you to your office," Annali walks past him, retrieving a nearby wheelchair for Max.

"If… you insist, then. I will be waiting outside when he's ready," Gupta steps out, letting Annali help Max out of his confinement. Lowering the bed's small fence-bar, meant to keep patients from falling out, Annali leans down to Max.

"Let's get you out of here, now," Annali tells him as she gently helps him sit up.

"Ugh, I think I'd prefer to stay. My back is killing me," Max groans.

"Oh, that's just the new robotic spine you have," Annali tells him.

"Wait WHAT!" Max nearly shouts.

"Shhh, I'm just kidding, come on now, don't make a racket *giggle*," Annali jokes, helping him swing his legs over.

"Oh, you're so funny, huh? Just wait till I *mumbles*" Max mumbles the rest as he slowly but surely sits down on the chair. The entire time Annali is smiling, Max hadn't forgotten his sense of humor at all.

Annali took Max out with relative ease as he had lost so much weight after undergoing so many surgeries. Gupta waved for them to follow him out of the Hospital to an elevator. To which it took them high above the Presidium and Hospital over to a hallway. As they exited the elevator, Gupta led them to the left of the hallway. Annali was astounded by the view as the windows allowed her to just see everything below them; the hospital, the presidium, the cars flying by right past them. She knew these were the luxurious apartments, apartments she couldn't hope to afford or even spend time. She was more comfortable with her own apartment; small enough for her to walk around, very memorable, and most importantly she knew where everything was.

Gupta led them to a lone door at the end of a hallway, opening the door and letting them in. Annali could only look at the room as the most obscure place to put an office. It was quite literally an apartment turned into a huge office with an open window revealing everything below and the rest of the city. The walls were painted a creamy brown with white stripes to give it a very soothing setting. The rug was also creatively picked as it was brown and bore elegant patterns of what Annali could only guess to be of an Asari Artisan's hands. Perhaps this used to belong to an Asari who was a skilled and creative designer before the Doctor moved in, "Please sit down," he gestured for her as he made his way to sit at his desk. Annali brought Max close to the desk, sitting him close to one of the chairs as she sat down to the right of him, "Now, I brought you here to discuss with you how this is all going to work."

"What? How's what going to work?" Max asks. He could feel the warmth of the light emanating through the window he wasn't aware but he had the idea there was a window somewhere.

"Due to your newly grown muscles still maturing, they need to undergo some physical therapy so that they can be trained to work and grow as a normal humans muscle. I estimate it may take months if not, perhaps, a year or more before your muscles are fully developed and can grow and flex as you please. Now I've arranged a schedule here in the hospital for a 1-hour session with a physician named Dr. Alondra Sanchez. She's a good person, she's patient and kind and works with veterans all the time. She will help you regain your strength over the course of however long it will take for your body to completely recover," Gupta explains.

"Only 1 hour?" Max asks.

"Yes, I decided that was the best amount of time to give you since your body is still healing. I assumed you would need some extra time to recover after a small workout so I left it at that. You'll start off easy with some finger exercises. The goal is to strengthen your basic everyday tools i.e Your hands," Gupta pulled out a schedule from the folder he had been carrying with him up to the office. He pulls out a stamp from his drawer and lifts it to stamp the schedule but is stopped by Max.

"No," he states.

"No?" both Gupta and Annali ask.

"I need to get back into shape soon, I don't have time to lay down in bed all day. I want the exercises to be longer," Max tells him.

"Max we can't rush anything, you're muscles are still healing from your recent surgeries. If you tear a muscle then it's back to the drawing board," Gupta explains.

"I agree, there really is no rush Max. The Alliance isn't going to hold it against you if you're still recovering," Annali states.

"E-exactly. How did you know about Alliance pensions?" Gupta asks.

"I explained it to her," Max answers him.

"Oh. Well then that makes sense," Gupta nods in understanding as he adjusts his glasses. Max identified his accent to be slightly Indian if he was correct but he couldn't make it out clearly.

"So how about it? 3 hours?" Max asks.

"The most I will allow right now is two and half hours. That will be it. No more and no less than that time," Gupta scribbles out the original time and changes it to 2 hours and 30 minutes, "Tomorrow you will rest and have some time to yourself but for now…" The doctor stands up and walks around his desk over to Max. He moves the chair to Max's left and moves him back a little to let him kneel down in front him, "Let's see those eyes of yours," he reaches for Max's head.

"I thought you said he wouldn't be able to see in another two weeks," Annali says, confused.

"That was before my prediction of when he would wake up. However, the drug seemed to wake him up even earlier than expected. If he's up now then perhaps his vision is also restored," Gupta begins to untie the bandage from behind Max and then proceeds to unroll the bandage. Annali watches intently as little by little the bandage is taken off and rolled up. Finally, all that was left were the two blood-soaked pieces of cotton taped over his eyes. Gupta carefully peels off the tape and removes both pieces of cotton, taking them into his hand and stuffing them into his lab coat pocket. He gently holds Max's face in his palms and inspects his face, investigating any signs of infection, "Now, let's those eye now, eh?" Gupta asks him. Max's eyelids twitch, quickly lifting up but then closing down but soon his eyelids slowly lift up. To Gupta's and Annali's surprise, they see Max's new eye colors; they were now clean white all around but his irises held two different colors at the same time; outside the edge, brown lined the outside while the middle was filled with a sky blue, similar to Annali's. Max no longer harbored his original chocolate brown but instead held his original color along with a new hue to show to the galaxy. Max gently opened his eyes to see both the doctor and Annali looking at him with shocked eyes, "My-my, when I first saw your original picture I noticed you had brown eyes but now… you now harbor an extra hue. I had not expected this," Gupta states.

Max awkwardly looked between the two of them, "So… do I look good or… what?" Max asks.

To Annali, Max had the eyes of a Turian; most if not all Turians harbored two different colors in each eye. Annali, for example, had sky blue and dark grey to outline the outside of her iris. Max had a unique combination of both warm and cool colors. Her cheeks felt very warm causing Annali to quickly hide her blush from Max. But he didn't pay attention to her, he was mostly looking around at his surroundings, trying to adjust his new pair of eyes to the light.

"Well, I am happy to say you have a new set of eyes to gaze through my friend. Take very good of them as I feel I might not save those again," Gupta warned him as he stood up and walked back to his seat.

Max blinked a few times before his vision finally focused, "I'll be sure to take very good care of them, sir," Max agrees. He turns to face Annali who was still looking in the other direction, "What's wrong?" Max asks.

Annali nervously turns to face Max, a small nervous smile formed as she turned to him, "I don't know, it's like looking at a new you," Annali chuckled.

"I guess," Max shrugs as she scratches his chin. It hadn't occurred to him that his beard had become a bush.

"Sorry about that Max, we were originally going to give you a shave but you woke up pretty early in the morning," Gupta explained.

"Wait, it's morning?" Max asks.

"Ironic isn't it?" Gupta chuckled.

"Yeah, a lot's happened in the past month I guess; dying, then coming back to life, stripped my meat off like it was bacon…" the last one made Gupta erupt in laughter.

"*ahem* It was a very intense procedure, we had to be careful to peel your muscular organs little by little so we didn't accidentally cut the nerves that were still intact. We laid your body out like a spiders web, exposing every vessel and replacing any damaged or decayed ones with freshly cloned ones. This was not an easy feat but your friends in the Alliance allocated a large amount of funding to be able to afford the procedures and equipment to clone your organs. More than half the bill was paid by the Alliance but your, uh, apparent insurer is paying for the rest," Gupta explains.

"And who did you say she was?" Max asks. Gupta's eyes dart to Max's right, his head leaning to the person right next to Max. In an instant, it all clicked to Max, "Annali? You're paying for my surgeries?"

Annali nodded in confirmation, "I am," she told him.

Max was lost without words, he couldn't imagine how much surgeries like the ones where performed on his were, "Annali you don't have to do that? Let the Alliance pay for it, you don't have to do this for me," Max told her.

"She can't back out now, she signed a legal form allowing her to have sole guardianship over you. Whatever happens to you will be on her. This will all be temporary of course until the cost has been paid off," Gupta explains.

Max could only stare at Annali in pure shock, he wasn't sure if this was the right course of action she should've taken. Annali sensed his uneasiness and placed a hand on his, his eyes rising up to meet hers, "Max, I'm doing this for you and your family. They deserve to see you come home in one piece. Also…" her hand lightly squeezed his, "-because I love you," she told him. Max's heart was warmed by her words. Slowly, he nodded in acceptance.

"Ok… thank you, but this is the last time you pay on my behalf because I think I'll be broke for owing you so much," Max jokes.

"*chuckle* we'll call it even for now," Annali tells him.

"She will be paying for your surgeries as well as finding you a place to stay if you wish to leave the hospital now," Gupta explains.

"I would be happy to find him a place, shouldn't be hard anyway. I've seen the prices, most aren't too much to handle," Annali tells him.

"I will hold you to that. Besides a place of stay I have to be serious now with you Max. When you were on the road to recovery we found it odd your blood had some elements tied in that we hadn't seen in any other patient before. Now, pardon my language but what the lab found was something we never thought would ever be damn possible," he then pulled up and image from his Omni-tool, a helix figure forming from the orange light, "This is your DNA before you were exposed to the substance, nos signs of mutation or edits," he then swiped away the picture and in its place was another but the helix was deformed and broken, "This was your DNA once exposed, you can see multiple Cancers swelling and breaking apart the strand. But if we look over to you DNA now after your treatment," the doctor then swipes the image away and introduces them to a new image, "This is it after treatment; it has completely changed. The treatment not only healed you completely but with the introduction to the Turian STEM cells it has added its own cells to merge with your own. I believe with the help of the Human STEM cell concentrate, together they were able to stabilize and reconstruct your body down to a molecular level. I have no idea who made this but whoever it was they knew exactly what they were doing. To program these cells to move and work with others to regrow and ultimately fix an organ or person if there is enough of them," The doctor explains.

"So… you're saying I'm not even me?" Max asks, a bit confused.

"On the outside, no. But on the inside, you've been completely re-written. You're unrecognizable, genetically that is. I could only identify a few strands that had your original sequence but the rest have been altered in such a way not even my colleagues could fully comprehend them," Gupta explained.

Max hadn't the slightest what it could mean for him but something in Annali clicked, _"Perhaps that's what he meant,"_ she wondered to herself. The Yahg mentioned something about being capable of changing a person's genetics to the most minute detail. Whether or not his goal was that it sure seemed like he accomplished it. But what could this mean for Max in years ahead? "Will there be any other medical complications for him?" Annali asks.

"Besides getting him back into shape I can only say this for you, Max. After this drastic change in your DNA I believe it is impossible for you to even start a family," Gupta tells him.

"What?" Max asks, a bit confused.

"I'm sorry, the treatment changed everything about you. To find a human partner and have children is very unlikely, if not, impossible. I'm sorry, Tereshkova. I wish I had better news for you," Gupta tells him sorrowfully. The image of his DNA disappears, now letting the words sink into Tereshkova. Max only stared at the vacant space where the image was, his eyes now giving the impression of Depression. Max was now scarred for life. This was a new change for him. A change he would have to endure for the rest of his life. Annali and Gupta exchanged glances towards each other, both recognizing his expression, "I believe I have said enough. Ms. Veren, you have full guardianship over Max so I will leave you to take him home. You have the schedule for his appointments. I am deeply sorry Max," Gupta expresses his condolences to Max but he doesn't so much as react in the slightest. His eyes were now looking down at his feet.

Annali took a deep breath and nodded, "Don't worry, I'll find him a place to call home," she then stood up, shaking hands with Gupta then wheeling Max out back to Huerta. Annali could sense Max's sadness, she tried to talk with him on another subject but he would only grunt in response. She was definitely aware most veterans who return from war seek to start a family. Annali never imagined starting a family but apparently, Max had. Or at least, was thinking about it. Despite his depression, she was able to help him put on his clothes, though, with the loss of most of his muscle mass, it was like making a scarecrow and she just needed to stuff him with straw. After meeting with the secretary, Max was discharged from the hospital and wheeled out by Annali down to the Car lot. She wasn't surprised to see Ma'Rice standing by a Red Sky car. He wasn't in his Black service armor anymore. Since they were on the Citadel it was more of a time to finally stretch and relax so he wore his casuals instead., "I was starting to wonder if you would be here," Annali tells him.

"I was starting to wonder if you would ever get out. I got a bunch of people looking at me with weird looks just because I'm standing here for no reason," he tells her. He then focuses his attention down to Max, "How are you doing Max?"

Max at that point finally looks up and shrugs, "I've been better, I guess," Max tells him.

"I hope you're feeling better. You weren't exactly a pretty flower before we got you here… I'm going to take yall home now, let me just open up the car," Ma'Rice says as he turns to unlock the Sky car.

"Mm," Max nodded.

"I'm going to need help with him, Ma'Rice. He can't stand yet," Annali tells him.

"Sure thing," Ma'Rice then takes Max by the arm, gently pulling him up as Annali grabbed him by the other. Slowly but surely they managed to sit him in the back, Annali fastens his belt, "There we are, hop in,"Ma'Rice told her.

Annali hopped into the passenger seat as Ma'Rice seated himself and started up the car. With a low hum from the back, the car began to levitate off the ground, Ma'Rice at the controls, he pulls it back out of the car lot and turns the vehicle to merge with the traffic lane. The 'Sun' had slowly gone down over time and it was nearly nighttime, "Didn't think it would be so late already," Annali wondered to herself.

"Time goes by fast, doesn't it. Though, I guess for Max time went by like a bullet, right?" Ma'Rice jokes, trying to lighten the mood but Max only stared out the window. Annali turned to look at Max but couldn't make any eye contact. His beard had grown out of control, she could barely see his lips to which they were very chapped. His hair had also grown to a length almost similar to the style Human females have but it grew down just over his earlobe. Hopefully, no man would confuse him with a woman or however it was that humans identified each other.

"How are things with the Council?" Annali asks.

"You know, I never thought I would be as bored as I was when I was on-duty on Chiriven but this post beats it in terms of annoyance. The silence is just unbearing; just standing at the door to the Council without anything to entertain you for FIVE hours. I'm thinking of writing a letter to my CO to find me another not so boring job besides guard duty. I think I'd rather take your job instead," Ma'Rice explains.

"Well, first come, first serve. I'm only in this to look after Max. He has a long day ahead of him," Annali explains.

"So I heard." Ma'Rice then takes the Skycar down away from the lane toward an opening into a skyscraper. In as little as a few minutes they were in the city, the place where parties and drunken posse's met to fight over something as little as the kind of air their breathing. But up top is where all sorts of business is conducted for all sorts of companies. Annali lived near the top in a modest apartment provided by the Hierarchy. There were certain terms she had to abide by like the restriction of covering another persons medical bills. Or having another person live with her. But who said anything about temporarily taking care of another person. She wasn't concerned about them taking away her pensions, she had served long enough to gain the respect of an Admiral. Though, it was only because they had known each other for so long.

The Skycar entered the parking lot, Ma'Rice looking every way trying to find a space for them. Finally, he found an empty space and lands the car, "Here we are," Annali looks out the window to the very familiar garage she's always come and gone through. The two-step out of the car, Annali quickly going around to help Ma'Rice as he helps Max up from his seat and onto the wheelchair.

"There we go, I swear you are much lighter than I thought," Ma'Rice tells him.

"Mmm," Max nods.

"You want me to accompany you guys?" Ma'Rice asks.

"Sure," Annali accepts, pushing Max to the elevator. Entering, Annali punches in the level and the inertia quickly settles in as they are transported up. The doors open and Ma'Rice wheels Max out into the elegant hallway. The walls and carpet were colored deep red with a few hints of orange here and there. The lights were upside down domes giving the hall a orange tone of color, further setting a lax tone.

"So… where do you live?" Ma'Rice asks, flashing her a very cringy curious expression.

Annali rolls her eyes in annoyance but shrugs it off, "Haha. It's right here," she points to a blue door. She holds her wrist in front of the holographic interface. The lock immediately turns green and the door locks unfasten revealing to both Annali and Ma'Rice with a shocked expression as to how luxurious the place was. It seemed as though it was straight of the box, it looked so new. It was a two-piece apartment; the Kitchen, living room, dining room where all in one place and they were placed in such good places. To the right, the Kitchen sat with everything that would be needed to cook, to the left the dining room was situated with seven seats and both were elevated just above the living room. Some stairs lead down to the area with the couch and TV, both looked of high quality, "Yeah, a special something Cpt. Caepraka got me when she commended me on my services. Though, I never expected to use this place for long since I'm always on a ship. I hire someone to keep it nice and furbished while I'm away but for the past few months I've been staying here I've had the liberty to bring in a few things and change the place up," Annali explains as she walks in.

Ma'Rice and Max look around the apartment in awe, neither had expected this to come from Annali. Especially, Ma'Rice, "W-… H-how… how come I didn't get one?" he asks.

"That's a good question, now can you bring in Max?"

"Oh right," Ma'Rice pushes him in, quickly looking around and taking in everything all at once.

"Lead him over here to the bathroom," she waves for him to follow. Ma'Rice gently and carefully takes Max down the two-step staircase to the right where Annali opens another room leading into the bathroom. Annali then takes the wheelchair from Ma'Rice and positions Max just in front of the mirror, "Alright, thanks for accompanying. You know the agenda for tomorrow?" Annali asks Ma'Rice.

"Yep, I'll see you two tomorrow at 8:00 in the morning. Until then, what are you going to do to our friend here?" Ma'Rice asks looking over to the items splayed out over the sink.

"Well, I'm going to make Max look presentable and not look like a Homeless junkie."

Max's head perks up, "Wait, I look like a junkie?" he asks looking to Annali.

"I'll leave you to it then. Later," Ma'Rice waves as he sees himself out.

"Bye and put that clock where you found it," she calls him out. Ma'Rice smoothly drops the clock on the drawer as he had tried to steal it so discreetly. Annali could almost see his embarrassment. She waits until the door closes behind him and then turns to Max, "Time to fix that hairdo of yours," she says.

"Um, do you know how to cut Human hair?" Max asks.

"Of course, what do you think I was doing all this time you were dead?" she jokes as she takes off her jacket and shirt to reveal her tank-top, "And I know when your hair gets cut, that stuff gets everywhere," she explains as she places her clothing on the floor away from them.

"Can you shave?" he asks.

"Your friend, Montero, let me practice on him so I think I'm qualified to say I'm experienced," she then opens a small brown box, pulling out a Clipper, a comb, scissors, and blades to what Max hoped where going to be used to shave his beard.

"I think there's a difference between being experienced and having technique i.e. I hope you know what you're doing," Max says, a bit scared. He couldn't escape anyways since he was bound to a chair and was at the mercy of Annali's questionable 'experience'.

"Montero's fine if that's what you're asking," she then flicks the switch to the clipper, a loud buzzing sound echoing throughout the bathroom, "Don't worry, it'll be over before you can say _Isvana' Cherofara,"_ she tells him over the sound as she lifts his hair up to begin.

"I don't even know what that means!" Max begins to squirm.

*BZZZZZZZZZ*

A few minutes later…

"Phew, there, not so bad if I do say so myself," Annali turns off the Clippers as she stares at her handiwork, breathing quickly to catch her breath after crouching down to his level for so long. Max had finally opened his eyes after what seemed like hours of pure fear. He let his hand touch around his scalp, searching for any uneven grooves. Surprisingly, he didn't find any. He still had plenty of hair on the top so he could shape it however he wants. Annali had also trimmed his bears down to a size where he can shave it himself.

"Think you can help me up? I kinda want to see my face," Max asks her.

"Sure," Annali nods, gently grabbing hold of his surprisingly thin arm and hoisting him up. His legs trembled as his muscles struggled to keep his body up. Max grabbed hold of Annali's arm with one arm and grabbed the side of the sink with his other. As he stood up, he finally saw himself; his eyes were a bright blue mixed with chocolate brown, but what took him completely off-guard was how thin his arm and hands were. He was like living stick figure. His skin was pale white and his hair had hints of gray on him. Annali could sense his shock, "Don't worry, you'll get through this. I promise," she told him softly.

"It's going to be freaking years before I can get my muscle back. All those years of self-improvement down the drain. It'll take even longer before I can even get the strength to stand up by myself," Max looks down at his shaking legs, his brows furrowing.

"Only if you let yourself give up. I know things have taken a turn for the worst but with some good effort and some good food, I think we'll be able to get you up to speed in no time," she tells him, trying to get some sense of hope into him. Max continues to stare at himself, eyeing his beard and scratching it, "Did you want to shave it too?" she asks.

"No… just leave it. I need to contact Admiral Hackett," Max says.

"About that, he said he wanted you to get into shape first before meeting him. He feels it would be painful for you to go up all the way to the Human Embassy and I agree with him. I think it's better if you catch your strength first. You'll need it anyway," Annali tells him.

Max nods slowly in agreement and then quickly sits himself down on the wheelchair, "I… guess you're right," he says, his tone very depressing.

Annali looks at him as he looks at his own limbs, easily wrapping his hand around the circumference of his forearm. He had lost everything he had trained his body for and now he was without a profession and could barely stand up as it was. Annali was more than willing to lend him her help since he had done so much for her and it was never a part of his mission to help her. He wasn't supposed to. He just did it because he felt sorry for her. Not because he needed to pretend to be her friend but because he knew it was the right thing to do. It was in his nature, "Come on, it's time to go to bed. You have your appointment tomorrow," she reminded him as she began to push him out.

"Right, I can't wait," Max said sarcastically making Annali smile. At least his humor was still holding up.

She wheeled him through the living room to another room. Max gazed at the new room. This was obviously Annali's if the silence didn't say anything. To his surprise, Annali wheeled him over to the bed, positioning the right side of the chair parallel to the side of the bed, "This is where you'll be sleeping from now on. I thought it would suit you best if you had it all to yourself so you have room to stretch," Annali explained.

Max gave her a face of confusion, "Where are you sleeping?" he asks.

"I'll be in the living room couch. It won't have the nice fluffiness of a bed but the pillows are pretty comfy at least," Annali tells him as she helps him stand then sits him down on the bed.

"Well that's a bit unfair, don't you think?"

"Why's that?" she asks curiously as she fluffs his pillow.

Max shrugs, "You really shouldn't be doing this for me, Annali. You don't carry me as a burden or anything, the Alliance can take care of me," he explains.

Annali stops fumbling with the pillow then looks to Max. She throws the pillow down a bit harsh on the bed and leans down close to Max, her face just inches from his, "For one, you're not a burden. You're my boyfriend. Second, don't take this wrong way, but I don't really trust the Alliance with you. And third…" she then kisses him on the cheek, "I love you. Mkay? Now go to sleep, we have a full day tomorrow and we're both going to need this," she then pulls up his now baggy shirt over his head, taking it off him and revealing a very anorexic thorax, "Oh my," she mumbles, stifling a laugh as she stares at his bare chest.

"Oh my god… *groan* this just isn't my day," Max tries to hide his ribs with his skinny arms, to which Annali could easily see through.

Annali sighed and knelt down to him, placing a hand on his shoulder, "There's nothing to be ashamed about Max. I'll help you get back to normal. We'll do this together," she assures him.

Max takes back the shirt and puts it back on, "I don't think I'm ready to see myself yet. It's just like when I was a Teenager; skinny, fragile, no meat, and never attracted mosquitoes," he says.

"We'll get to that eventually," she tells him.

"You know what I think to prefer being skinny. I won't have to deal with blood-sucking insects ever again," Max jokes.

"I prefer a man with more meat on his bones so regardless, I'm in it to get you into peak physical condition. So no, I am not going to fuck a tree's twig just because you have a distaste for a super tiny insect," Annali tells him as she throws his legs over and onto the bed, "Now get some sleep, already. We're heading out early in the morning," she tells him, bringing the blanket up to his chest.

"You didn't have to put it like that."

"I think I did. In case it wasn't a joke," she then gently touches the lamp to her left and it shuts off instantly. Bending down, she kisses Max on the forehead before saying, "Goodnight."

"Goodnight." Max wishes her the same.

Annali then caresses his hand momentarily before letting go and leaving the room, "Call me if you need anything," she states before disappearing from the room into the living room. She already had her bed made in the room. The large windows let the many lights from the skyscrapers surrounding her light up the room entirely even when she shut the lights off. Flipping up her Omni-tool, she accesses the settings to the windows and changes them to an even darker tint, dimming the lights to a near complete darkness but still letting in some light so she knows her surroundings, " _There we go,"_ she then turns off her Omni-tool and heads to the couch. Taking off her pants down to her underwear, she then threw the pair away and proceeded to stretch her arms out. Flopping onto the couch she then let herself fall to the pillow and just as she was about to let out a breath lax…

"OH SHIT!" Max's voice caused her eyes to shoot open. The moment of silence completely destroyed by a cry for help. In no time flat, she darted off the couch and ran into his room.

"Max, what's wrong?" she asked, looking around for the source of his panic but only found him holding his sheets up to his chin with an innocent smile on him.

"Just testing your reaction," he stated plainly. Annali grabbed the pillow from the seat to her right and threw at Max's head.

"Fuck you and go to sleep," she simply told him, leaving Max to his giggles as she left and fell to the couch. All of the laziness she had just left her body and was replaced with adrenaline, keeping her wide awake, " _This is going to be long week…"_

 **I feel ya.**

 **Sorry for the long wait in between, College had just started up again and time has been cut rather short for me. This is a pretty small chapter, unfortunately, I was only able to get a few things in before heading back to the grind.**

 **In the last chapter, I mentioned something about working on the next 'installment'. It meant nothing in regards to another series but I just meant that I would be working on the next chapter.**

 **So installment = chapter in my book.**

 **Congratulations. You have learned something new.**

 ***clap* *clap* *clap* *clap***

 **Besides that, the next chapter may take an0ther while what with College work and stuff. If anything, I only ask for your patience as I work through this.**

 **As always, have a nice day :)**


	15. Chapter 15

***huff* *huff***

 **Sorry for the wait guys. I just finished making my final tweaks so here it is. Stick around for my sorry explanation at the end (that is if you want to know why I was absent for so long).**

 **Enjoy!**

Chapter 15

5 months later…

"45… 46… 47… 48… 49, come on you're almost there! Just one more push!" A man encourages.

"*huff* come on, I literally just did 100 push-ups earlier *grunt* I can't-" Max gasps in exhaustion.

"Did that stop you from running the mile? Did that stop you from leg-lifts? Did that stop you on the battlefield? No, you kept going till the end, NOW PUSH THAT BITCH UP!" He yelled in his face.

Max at this point was already agitated and that fueled his muscles to flex one last time, "GRAHHH!" Max growled as he managed to bench press the staggering 345 lb. barbell. Finally, sick and tired, Max threw the barbell in front of him, causing it to bounce and jingle as the weights clanged together. Max then sat up, straightening his back and cracking his shoulder joints as well as his neck, giving it a sharp turn to get it loosened.

"Good job, you've come a very long way, Mr. Tereshkova. This is your best press yet," The Trainer complimented.

"Don't get me started on my max, this is only half of what I actually managed to do… once," Max bragged as he bent down to reach his feet.

"I'll say. When they brought you to me 5 months ago I remembered you were this shriveled up skeleton wanting to learn what it meant to be human again," The Trainer joked.

"Douche," Max said before taking a swig out of his water bottle.

"But then when I saw the dedication in your eyes and how hard you wanted to work, I thought, 'This should be good,' and I actually thought you would give up in the first few weeks. I honestly didn't believe you until I saw you making some big gains on those limbs. In just Five months time you've gotten fucking swo-"

"Don't the use the S-word. It makes me feel like a gym freak," Max told him. But he agreed with him; in just the past few months, Max had gotten used to his freshened senses and he worked hard on top of them, always making sure he got the right protein and made sure he was on track with his schedule. He was eager to be back in shape and in full working condition. With Annali's support and constant encouragement, she helped push him harder than what was recommended by the doctor and in turn, it helped him recreate the body he lost months ago.

"Anyhow, I'm really proud of you Max. You know, you actually live up to the former Black Op. you were before all of this. Which reminds me…" the Trainer began to say before Max cut him off.

"No, I told you already and a thousand times before that; I don't want to join your super-secret boy band," Max declined as he draped a towel over his neck started for the lockers.

"It's not a boy band, Tereshkova. It's an organization and you know who we are; we work undercover for the defense committee and gather intel on other foreign governments. We find their weaknesses and exploit them when we have to," the Trainer followed after him.

"Gee whiz, thank you for telling me what I already know, mister. But like I've said before-," Max opened the door the room, "That line of work nearly took away the people that I love and it nearly took away everyone else I was supposed to protect. I was ready to handle it back then but now…" Max paused for a second, taking a moment to himself before looking back to the man, "But now… I'm only looking out for the people I know I can protect. I won't let war play with my head again. I'm not cut out for that work anymore. I never was and I never will have a nice day," Max shut the door, letting him take a deep breath and letting out with a deep exhale. The Trainer used to be an ex-covert operator like Max, however, he didn't work as an N7 but a separate group created by the Alliance to work undercover like the N7's but their mission details involved other topics. Max shook the offer away from his head, he knew he was trying to get Max back in the game and he knew every trick he had to try and get Max to join back. In the end, Max was sure he told him off for good.

For now, he needed to take a shower and get ready to go home. Annali was eager to show him something she had been working on for a long time and it was today she wanted to show it to him at dinner. Annali had invited him to a fancy restaurant that had finally been reconstructed after the Geth attack on the Citadel and it was there she wanted to show him her surprise. All week, Max had been brainstorming what surprise it could be but so far he only came up short with a theory and a half-eaten Honey Bun, "Whatever it is it better involve food cause I am craving for a lobster right now," Max said to himself as he licked his lips at the mere thought of a cooked lobster on his table. He had been eating a strict diet of meat, dairy, vegetables, and fruit. But now was the time to finally break from that rule and eat what his stomach had always wanted. A meal that mentioned a job-well-done.

After taking a shower and changing into his everyday clothes consisting of some sneakers, some classic blue jeans, and a gray t-shirt that fit neatly around his thorax. Stuffing everything else in his duffel bag, he walked out of the locker room and made his way to the parking lot. The Gym was packed that day so there were many people coming to get their game on but one look at Max and they were discouraged. At least that's what it looked like to Max. Making his way to one of the self-driving Sky-car's he got in and punched the address for Annali's apartment. For the past few months, he had been staying at Annali's apartment due to her personal requests to him so that he can stay with her. He wasn't going to lie, he had gotten really used to living with Annali and she had gotten very attached to him whenever they were alone. Some nights she would try to get Max in the 'mood' but his concern for her well-being had killed the moment each time leading to a little victory but Max was getting the feeling each time he denied her pleas she was getting much more aggressive on her methods. Thankfully, Doctor Gupta had scheduled to meet with him today as he recently called to tell him he had some astonishing news for him. Hopefully, he might be able to talk some common sense into Annali once they got there.

The Sky-car levitated off the ground with a smooth ascent into the air and then backing out of the lot, turning to face the line of cars traveling the arm of the Citadel. Shortly later, he saw the Human Embassy sitting over the Commons which reminded him of his meeting with Admiral Hackett. He remembered Hackett telling him over comms one time to come to talk to him about a new job he had in mind for him but to only come when he had fully recovered as he needed to be sure Max was truly in perfect shape to take the job. Hopefully, it wasn't any on-the-ground job.

After a few minutes in the air, the Sky-car had navigated itself into the parking lot within the building. People were everywhere as they looked for their own cars to take them as the engineers tuned those cars and prepped them for flight. Just the other day one of the cars Eezo cores practically had a meltdown because someone didn't check the exhaust system that was supposed to be running at all times. With that close call, everyone was to double check their work before clearing it for departure. Max was pretty sure he would've remembered to do that, but then again, he did bring the fire department to Annali's apartment after forgetting to turn off the stove for his pancakes.

The Sky-car found a suitable landing platform and proceeded to land. The doors opened to allow Max to leave as he got up and grabbed his bag, "Thanks buddy, too bad you can't talk," Max joked.

" **You are welcome!"**

Max heard a robotic voice come from behind. He turned to the car but it just sat there idly with its doors open. Was he hearing stuff?

"Ooooookay…" Max walked away uncomfortably, his eyes still fixed on the car.

Max quickly got in the elevator and mashed the button to get it to close the doors quicker. Once the doors finally closed he let out a breath of exhaustion. Even in the car, he was still tired but perhaps it could be that he was mentally tired; weeks of trying to get back into shape was a real hassle and it only added to the times he needed to go to therapy in order to check if he isn't straining himself.

The doors open to the hallway as Max steps out, making his way to the apartment. He finds the apartment and gives the door lock his ID. The holographic lock turns green, giving Max the go-ahead to proceed. Max takes one step and plants his face right into the door.

*Boof*

"AH! What the-" Max clutches his nose. He stumbles back in confusion; it should have opened. Max rubs his nose and tries for the door again. Holding his Omni-tool band over the lock. It then turns green and the door opens, "There… fucking stupid ass door-"

*SLAM*

*Boof*

"WHAT… THE FUCK!" Max slams his face into the door again as it suddenly closed. Max slowly swipes his Omni-tool again. The lock turns green and the doors open again. Max doesn't step forward this time, instead, he tiptoes forward a little and then quickly waves his arm in between the doors in an attempt to get another response. Pulling back his arm nothing happens. Max is left confused in the hallway. He throws his bag in through the door to try to get another response but gets nothing. He then reaches down and takes off his shoe, throwing it between the doors and gets the same response. Nothing, "Guess it was just a glitch then," Max then steps forward confidently but then-

*SLAM*

*Boof*

"OH COME ON!" Max yells in utter frustration. Max then swipes his Omni-tool over and over again but the doors close seconds after being scanned. At this point, Max wasn't having it; he swipes his wrist across the lock and just as the doors open they begin to close until they are stopped in place. Max grabs both doors with his hands before they connect, using all of his strength to force the doors apart. Little by little, he pries the doors open, sneaking his right arm in and moving his shoulder in between in order to get more power into his arm. Eventually, the doors give up and Max stumbles in, tripping over his bag and falling to the ground, "Doh!" Max grunts.

"Spirits, what where you doing with the door? All I heard was it opening and closing non-stop," Annali asks him. Max gets up and looks over to the living room; Annali was lying on the sofa with the TV remote in her hand. She was wearing a very casual blue shirt with a Hanar holding what looked like ice cream cones in hands… or tentacles. Annali only wore some black shorts which only signified she had the day off from work.

"Oh, it was nothing *sniff* nothing at all," Max briefly looked over his shoulder at the door as it closed. Max then picked up his belongings and threw them over a chair, making his way down to the living room toward Annali, "So what have you been doing this whole time? It's practically 4:30 PM and you haven't even gotten ready for the so-called 'dinner' you mentioned," Max tells her as he sits down next to her.

Annali grunts lazily and shuts off the TV, lifting her legs and placing them over Max's lap, "Have patience, won't you? I just made a reservation for us so there's nothing to be worried about," Annali assures him.

"I hope you're not going in this," Max eyes her selection of clothing.

"Of course not, that would severely hurt my image and reputation. And what, you're going out like this?" Annali eyes his own selection, "And you better shave that beard of yours; it's starting to get messy," Annali points.

"Oh come on, the ladies dig the rugged look," Max rubs his face.

"Well I'm not like one of your Earthling girls so either you shave it or I do," Annali threatens.

"Annali, come on, are you serious?" Max asks but in return gets a serious look from her. Max nods in agreement, "Yeah sure, I'll shave it just give me some time, alright?" Max quickly says.

Annali smiles happily and pulls herself toward Max, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing his cheek, "Good. I was waiting for you to get home before I left to do some errands," Annali tells him before getting up from the sofa.

"I thought you had the day off?" Max asks.

"I do, I just need to get a few things before it's time to go. Though, I think I'll be out for most of the day until we have to be there by 7:30," Annali states as she goes into the room to change.

"Oh yeah, I didn't even realize the time. Are you going alone?" Max asks.

"No, I have a friend tagging along with me so I'm all set on company," Annali responds.

"Oooh," Max nods slowly, a little disappointed.

"Oh don't be sad, we'll see each other in a bit. It won't be long, just make sure you get there in time. Oh, and also…" Annali steps out of the room in her C-Sec casuals; A dark blue shirt and jacket along with some casual pants, "-make sure you come elegantly and with a clean face," Annali tells him as she snaps her Omni-tool band on her wrist, "I'll see you there, tiger. Love you," she winks at him before making her way out the door.

"Love you, too. Oh and remember the doctor's appointment I have today so we'll have to be there for a small while," Max says as she gives him a peck on the lips before heading toward the door.

Annali stops just before the door and mumbles, "Mm."

Max watches her as the doors open and she steps through it without any trouble, "Wha-?" Max stuttered in pure confusion. She had no trouble walking through it but when he did he practically had a broken nose. Something was up with that door but Max just didn't have the energy to start asking it questions. All he could do now was wait for 7:00 to roll around while he got ready for his big date.

Meanwhile with Annali…

Annali stepped through the door and began making her way towards the garage. She was sure Max was looking at her as she walked through the door. She hacked the doors with her Omni-tool to get them to shut just as he started walking in. Each time he would swipe his Omni-tool she would shut it immediately afterward. It was to stifle her laughter so as to not get caught but it was a good prank after all.

Pulling up her Omni-tool, she then marked one of her friends to call. Shortly, a familiar face showed up on the holographic screen. It was her sister, **"Hey there Soldier, you ready yet?"** she asks.

"I just left, damn. Just needed a change of clothes, Altana," she explains.

" **Well you should've just come anyway, you'll be changing out of it soon,"** she tells Annali.

"Haha, no way, I have an image to maintain and I don't need my older sister to bait me into another prank," Annali argues.

" **I can't believe you're still salty about that, it was just a-"**

"-Joke, right. Anyway, I'll be there in a minute, don't drive off on me," she tells her.

" **And why would I do that?"**

"Because you're you," she closes the call but not before catching her sister make the eye roll, _"Always finding a way to embarrass me,"_ she reminds herself. Her sister was always the lively one, even after their mother's death she always tried to lighten the mood whereas Annali fell into a deep depression. Only a few people were able to cheer her up and have her feel like her usual self. Max being one of them.

Altana and Annali where both sisters but besides the older one being the leader and the youngest being the lively one it seemed as though their roles had been completely flipped where Annali, being the youngest, found herself trying to control her sister's foolish acts and Altana being the one that needed Annali to control her. But now that they've grown out of their childhood and into their adult phase, it seemed their roles still had not changed in the slightest. Altana was a little bit taller than Annali by two inches but was still shorter than Max. Altana even bore the same colonial facial markings as her sister, however, Annali would soon change her family marks once they had made their trip to the Presidium on the 3rd wing of the Citadel.

Once in the garage, she began looking around for the blue Sky-car that would definitely stand out amongst the rest of the others. Surely enough, she spotted the blue car and Altana sitting within. She spotted Annali and waved for her. Annali waved back and made her down the inclination onto the landing pads. The doors splayed open, allowing Annali to enter the Sky-car, "Nice of you to take your time," Altana greeted her.

"Oh shush, it wasn't that long. I was just waiting for Max to arrive," she told her as she clipped her seat belt.

The doors closed as Altana took the Sky-car from its pad and carefully navigated it out of the garage, "You know, you never introduced me to that Human boyfriend of yours," she states, causing Annali to roll her eyes.

" _Not again,"_ she said in disgust.

"How is he? Or is it a she? Are you that type of person now? Do they get on your nerves every once in a while? Do they smell funny? Does the sun change their color? How are they in bed?" she began shooting her with questions. All of them being the same as before.

"Altana, if you're so curious then why don't you go date one yourself?" she answered.

"What? Nu-uh, I'm asking you so that I know what I might get myself into. So how is it?" she asks.

Realizing she isn't going to let it go until her question is answered, Annali decided to answer her with the honest truth, "*sigh* To be honest, I didn't know what I was getting into, myself. Part of me was curious about them, not because I was a Liaison, but because I felt a connection… to one them. Throughout the mission, the more I spent time with the Humans the more I came to realize that we shared many things in common; Humans have a way of making the best out of the worst situations, I don't know if they were just winging it but whatever the case was they seemed to be fine. I found out a lot about their history and origins; their lifestyle sounded much more exciting than ours was," she explained.

"How so?" Altana asked, now much more curious.

Annali looked to her sister, "No curfew, Less social restrictions, for Spirit's sake, they don't even have to join the military."

"So I guess my time in boot camp was just a waste of time while my younger sister somehow excelled and moved on away from home to a different life…" she paused. A moment of silence settled in the cabin, Annali only expected her to complete her thought but it didn't seem like she was going to say anything else.

"Is this more about me and less about Max?" she asks, now realizing her sister's point.

"*sigh* Father is very worried about you-"

"Was that 'Sober' him or 'drunk' him?" Annali states, not giving a care.

"Annali, our father loves us but with him out of work he just can't bring himself to express it. And with the news about your relationship with him beginning to catch wind he just can't help but feel he's going to lose his 'little girl'," Altana explains.

"He lost his 'little girl' years ago when he decided to neglect us for the rest of our teenage years. He never bothered to reassure us after mom died and Spirits damn me for saying, 'He can go take his 'kind' words and shove it somewhere else.'" Annali crossed her arms in a fit. Altana sighed in sadness as she knew exactly where she was coming with this.

"You can't blame him for his way. Mom meant everything to him… and us, we need to be there to keep him in check and you know as well as I do that he hates, sorry, DESPISES Humans. He isn't going to be as understanding as… well, you can't count me in, but he won't be as understanding as Mother," Altana warns.

"And why can't I count on you? You've seen how Max is," she tells her.

"From a distance. I'm not really ready to… you know…" she waved her hand in the air, trying to find the right words.

"Make First Contact?" Annali finished.

"Yes, exactly!" she snaps her fingers.

"Well consider my information as trustworthy as anything. You can definitely be sure I know my stuff when it comes to Humans," Annali assures her.

"I bet you do…" she says.

"Yup," an eerie silence lingers in the air before Annali catches her sisters meaning, "Fuck you," she punches her in the arm.

"HAHAHA! Of course, you would wouldn't you? You'd know the in's and out's of that wouldn't you?... Or wouldn't it be the other way around? Ow- hey!" Atlan shields herself as Annali slugs her again.

"Why don't you focus and drive before we crash, how about that?" Annali practically yells at her as Altana continues to laugh all the way to the 3rd wing.

A flight to the 3rd wing from the 5th would usually take about 30 minutes in traffic. But when your sister knows the in's and out's of the Citadel then getting there would be like taking a walk around the block. In practically no time at all, they were already in the Presidium and getting ready to land.

"Alrighty, here we are," Altana proceeded to land the car along the others. Gently as a leaf, the bottom of the car meets the ground.

"I'm so excited to see what she had in mind," Annali says, a visible eagerness spreading across her face.

"From what she told me, she managed to merge them together. She told me it wasn't hard since Female Human and Asari dresses where very similar in appearance. When she showed me the concept it looked…" Altana zoned off, trying to find the right word as they got out the car and began walking toward the stores which were literally right across from them.

"What did it look like? Was there something wrong with it?" Annali asked as they entered the Market Place. Species came and went from the markets, purchasing and selling goods either from their homeworlds or their selling their own personal products. Annali usually steered clear of the Arms wing of the Market Place. Usually, fights would occur during transactions and it's a very delicate matter when it comes down to prices. Which is why C-Sec usually had security down there to make sure nothing escalated.

"Personally, I think she could've at least ditched the drape that wrapped around the arm and replace it with a thin cloak over the left shoulder. Seeing as how the entire dress is entirely, or at least, almost transparent, I think you should really go with a facial pattern that matches with the dress. Or find a dress that matches with your own," Altana recommends as they near the Fashion Store. Annali practically never came to the store unless it was her sister that needed company but now she was there with official business.

"Well, it's already too late to change my mind on the dress. Chari worked hard on it so all we can do now is trim or add something to it. I'm looking forward to seeing what she's come up with," Annali shrugs.

As they step inside their noses twitch at the familiar scent of clean clothes as if they had just been taken out of the dryer. There was a dress for every occasion on display; a Night out, a Cocktail, Wedding/ Parties, Formal dresses, an assortment of Asari dresses that heavily resembled Humans, and a small selection of Turian formal wear since Female Turians almost never where one for Asari tastes. There were some Human women going through the selection and talking to the Asari employee's, at least they had some common ground. Especially since they resembled so much of each other. Annali and Altana worked closely with Chari, a Matriarch and the Asari tailor that worked in the shop for most of her life, every few centuries the Citadel would change and so would the shop. Her craftsmanship in the art of design and concepts far outclassed her colleagues and any other tailor on the Citadel and perhaps even the Galaxy. She usually specialized in the art to craft the closest resemblance to a Human dress with the combination of Asari and Turian designs now with the introduction of Humans into the Citadel races. Designs Chari had limited knowledge to but still always improvised and gave out her best version, which always made big sales. This dress was no different in terms of a challenge but it nevertheless taught her new techniques and styles from which to craft new concepts.

Annali and Altana began walking around the store trying to find her, finally locating her behind the store in her workshop, seemingly working on another project and unaware of their presence, "EY!" Altana screamed all of a sudden, causing Chari to jump from her seat.

"GYAAHHH! OOF!" she fell to the ground with a thump. She groaned as she got up, "Athame, damn me for if I kill these fools…" she mutters. As she got up, Annali once again saw there was still a hint of her youth that often caused other Asari to mistake her as a Matron. Unlike most Matriarchs, Chari was one of few with a rare case of Parenthro-M'Yging Insolarianism. It wasn't much of a health issue per se, but more of a physical side effect when an Asari's growth hormones form irregularities caused by their chromosomes forming unnatural bonds that stimulate the wrong amount of hormones to be released. In her case, her body doesn't produce as much.

"I see you're still working your ass off again, or were you? Doesn't your age mean you get to sleep more often on the job?" Altana chuckles as she walks in, Annali following close behind her.

"Yes, and I was enjoying it until YOU came along, ugh," she cracked her back as she tried to regain her bearings again, "Any reason why you decided to come and ruin my afternoon?" she asked.

"I think you know why," Annali piped up from behind Altana.

"Oh yes, almost forgot, here let me go get it," she quickly turned to look for the dress she had collaborated with Annali. Instead of heading towards the closet where she usually kept her works, she merely took an immediate left toward a huge pile of clothes, "I think it's… somewhere… in here," she began sifting through the mountain of cloth.

"Did you seriously just… throw it in there? You couldn't have just hung it somewhere in a closet?" Annali asked, stunned to think she would just throw it carelessly around.

"I would have if my closets weren't packed full of my client's orders as well. Your order is just another order in a long line of others… mmf," she grunted as she dug her arm all the way into the pile, "AHA, GOTCHA!" she cheered in triumph as she pulled out a light blue dress. Though, it would have been much more enthusiastic if it wasn't so rugged and formless.

"Gee, it looks so nice. Can't wait to put it on," Annali said with plain sarcasm and boredom.

"I'll get it fixed up in no time, just wait for me in the Fitting Room. I'll be there shortly," she gestured them to follow her. Annali and Altana followed her as she directed them. Annali and Altana made their way towards the Fitting Room, sitting down on a bench just across from them while Altana leaned on the wall.

"*sigh* so much for the in-and-out routine," Altana muttered.

"What's the hurry? It's not like you have anything else to do," Annali told her. But one look at her sister told her otherwise, "Wait…" she frowned, eyeing her sisters face as she tried her best to keep a straight face, "No… you are not going to…"

"Oh come on, you never made a big deal out of it before, why now?" she asked, trying her best to keep her voice low.

"Because Father is not going to be so sensible this time especially after he said he was going to another 'meeting' with his so-called 'friends.' Better yet, I think you should just leave him to himself. You have no business with him," Annali tries to speak some sense into her.

"Annali, I can't believe you would just abandon family like that. Mother would have-"

"Mother isn't HERE!" Annali nearly shouts, drawing some attention from nearby shoppers. Annali almost speaks again but decides to remain silent. Altana looks away for a moment, not meeting her eyes. A dreadful silence settles in between them. Annali felt shamed for yelling at her own sister like that, and it didn't feel good to talk about her mother like that. Her sister is stuck in the same position as she was before she embarked on the mission to destroy the Cerberus base. Her sister was still stuck in the past as she was and she needed to rub a little bit of Max's words on her.

Annali stood up, making eye contact with her sister, her eyes filled with sorrow. Before she could even speak Chari made her entrance, "There, good as new! Oop… did I, uh, stumble into something?" she asks.

"No," they both responded.

Chari looked at both of them, trying to see if there was truly something going on but shakes away the thought as she presents her work to them, "Anyway, here is your order. Does it look it fine to you?" she asks as she brought it up from behind her as she held it up high for the full length to be shown, bringing up the lower half with her left arm. Both Annali and Altana looked at it with actual awe, it was something entirely new and gave hints of both Asari and Human cultures: It was a Human Cocktail dress altered to become slightly transparent as it ran down the extended length of the skirt to which it ended in some unique design patterns tinted a little darker than the light blue base in order to give it some detail. The left strap that usually hung over the left shoulder was removed by Chari's own recommendation as it was only meant to hide a woman's breast. In doing so, it only left a large exposed hole for people to observe a persons entire left torso all the way down to the hip. Which, by normal standards, was practically walking nude. Instead of leaving the hole the way it was, Chari instead sowed up the open space up to Annali's rib cage. The result is a tight fit for the torso but since Female Turians naturally had slim waists, it wasn't much of a problem. That way, it was only Annali's left shoulder exposed but not without a small cloth to cover her from cold winds. This was a small addition to the dress by Chari but it could be removed at any given moment just by clipping it off. The color was Darkish Sky Blue and lightened in color as it ran down the extended length of the dress down to a faint blue which made the patterns at the bottom a very attractive elegance.

"I'd say you've outdone yourself this time, Chari. This is beyond fine… it's fantastic," Annali compliments her as she gently takes the dress into her arms.

"Thank the Goddess, this dress was by far the most complicated piece I've done in centuries. To meld an extension to a short skirt is near impossible to make it look seamless. You had me on a whole different field, Annali, and I don't know if I should be thankful or hold you at your throat," Chari crosses her arms over her chest.

Annali rolls her eyes, smiling, she wraps her arm around Chari in a tight embrace, "Thank you, I know you love me too," she tells her.

Chari shakes her head and returns the hug, "You are very welcome… now, go try it on I want to see how it looks on you," she urged her.

Annali turned toward the rooms but stopped just before Altana, turning to say something but is cut off, "Don't worry, I won't take off on you. Go put it on, I'm eager to see your best," she says with a smile as she leans her shoulder on the wall. Annali smiles in return, nodding and heading forth to look her best for tonight. In the back of her mind, she wondered how Max was doing.

[

Meanwhile with Max…

 **Apartment Building Complex, Citadel, 19** **th** **of November, 6:15 PM, and nowhere near ready for date.**

"FUCKIN HELL! Where did I put my suit? There's no way I could've lost it! They don't just find another owner just because they FEEL like it!" Max threw rag after rag of clothes from the closet, desperately trying to find his suit and dress shoes. But they were nowhere to be found. He had turned the whole apartment upside-down trying to look for them but all he found was a lost sock that was caught in the ventilation and a half-eaten waffle that somehow made its way behind the toilet. Max then emerged from the closet, his face covered in shaving cream and only a quarter of his beard was shaved, "Goddammit, where in monkey shit is it?!" he muttered to himself as he rechecked under the bed and in the drawers.

*Knock* *Knock*

"Hey, it's me, Ma'Rice, can I come in?" Ma'Rice's voice echoed behind the door. Max jerked up suddenly and hit himself under the bed.

"GAH! HOLD ON, I'LL BE RIGHT THERE! shit," Max looked around for the razor but couldn't find it. He clutched his head and found it behind his ear, "Gotcha!" he then began finishing up his face as he ran back to the bathroom and washed up, cleaning the excess cream from his face and quickly drying his face, "On my way!" he yelled as he ran out the door but slipped on a rag and fell hard on the floor, "DOG SHIT! DOH!" he yelled as he landed. Immediately, he got back up and sprinted toward the door, accessing the pad and opening it for his friend, "Hey man, what's up?" Max gasped as he tried to regain his breath.

"Oh, sorry, I can come back later if you want…" Ma'Rice pointed toward the elevator.

"No no no, it's fine, come on in. I got nothing to hide, my man," Max urged him to come inside. The two made their down to the living room as Max gestured for him to sit down, "What brings you here?" he asks as he pulls up a chair and sits down across from him.

"Well, uh, I just… came here to ask you for…. some… um… for a… ehm," Ma'Rice began to stutter, which was a first for Max to witness. He almost never stuttered, him being so straight up and formal. Max noticed him fiddling his fingers constantly, a direct clue for nervousness.

Max looked back up at Ma'Rice to see he wasn't even making any eye contact and was actively trying to avoid it, "You… okay there, Ma'Rice? You wanted to ask me for…. what?" he asked.

Ma'Rice started by clearing his throat, "*ahem* sorry, um, I feel so weird for asking you this but I've… kind of been dating this…. Human girl-"

"OH WHAT?! REALLY?!" Max exploded in complete surprise as he clutched his head, he had not seen this coming in any way possible. He was stunned beyond belief but quickly came to his senses as he saw the seriousness in his eyes, "*ahem* sorry, it's just I-I never saw you going out with a girl- I-I mean a Human girl that is, uh, how long has it been?" he asks, trying to clear the awkwardness.

"About 4 and a half months now, we've-" he stopped as he noticed Max's wide eyes focused on him, "Um, we've been at it for a while now and she's actually very nice and she says I'm really fun to talk to. But I feel like this whole time I've just been…"

"Winging it?"

"You could say that yeah. A whole lot of terms I have to memorize with your people. How do you do it? How do you keep a steady relationship with a Human woman when you come from entirely different people?" Ma'Rice asks.

"HAHAHA, that's funny you say that because it's the exact same thing I've been asking of you for a while now. Honestly and truthfully, I know where you're coming from; being with Annali used to be a challenge since we needed to break down those language barriers. It was hard at first but as time went on we got to know each other a lot and we eventually progressed beyond friendship…" Max paused as he saw Ma'Rice writing his words down on a notepad.

"What? Go on," he gestured.

"Uh, anyway, the truth is; relationships such as this take time to understand and get used to. I'm sure… uh, what's her name?"

"She prefers to be called Roxie," Ma'Rice answers.

"Ah, so her name is Roxanne then," Max says.

"No it's Roxie, how do you even get Roxanne?" Ma'Rice asks.

"Roxie is short for Roxanne, she probably wanted you to remember her quickly. We all have nicknames like mine; Max is short for Maximillian," Max gives an example.

"Ah," Ma'Rice nods in understanding, "Then I guess I have much more to learn then," he says.

"Oh there is much more to learn than just names," Max implies.

"Oh Spirits, what have I gotten myself into?" Ma'Rice facepalms himself.

"You've just made your life much easier is all I'm saying," Max says as he gets up and pats his back, "Is that all you wanted, just some relationship advice?" he asks as he walks around him toward the kitchen.

"I'll probably need more in the long-term," Ma'Rice shrugs as he gets up as well, "And what about you? You look like you're getting ready for a date," Ma'Rice chuckles as he observes Max. He could tell he was shaving and he heard the trouble he was having from the entrance.

"Um… Ma'Rice can I ask you for a favor too?" Max asks.

"Sure, what is it?"

"First off, you're right; I am getting for a date with Annali but I can't find my stinkin suit. And I don't have anything else to wear other than a decent pair of jeans and black jacket with a small stain of Ranch Dressing on it," Max then went and pulled them out to show.

"Oooh, nuh-uh, that is not going to work it; you need something for a Night Out Date. I'd give you one of my own formal wears but you're… you know," Ma'Rice shrugs.

"And I don't even have time to run to the clothes store. I practically 6:30 and all I got done is a clean face. You need to go and buy me a suit or something," Max tells him.

"WHAT? Ain't no one going to sell me human clothes and I am not going to buy them either! How did you even lose them? Don't you have like a closet or something to put your stuff in?" Ma'Rice asks as he walks past him and into the bedroom, "Oh hell, nevermind, you got yourself a whole lot of work to do for clean up. If Annali sees this mess then consider the date a Mission Failed," He warns him.

"Which is why I'll get to it if you go ahead and buy me that suit for me. In the meantime, I'll be cleaning up here and tidying up before I leave for the date which is… at 7:30 and it's already 6:21! Ma'Rice you have to do this for me, please! I can't screw this up and you know it, I need you to do this," Max practically begs him.

"Spirits, can you get a hold of yourself? You have to be a man about this and take things into your own hands."

"I AM a man. But things kinda… slipped out of my hands… sort of," Max shrugs.

Ma'Rice closes his eyes and shakes his head in disbelief, "Ugh, fine, I'll do it but you owe me big time," Ma'Rice tells him as begins towards the door.

"OH WAIT, I think I know where it is!" Max shouts in revelation. Ma'Rice turns back to Max, "I think I had someone take some of my clothes down to the washers. If you can head down there and find it then I'm all set for tonight," Max tells him.

"Wait, you want me to steal back your clothes? How do I know what I'm looking for?" he asks.

"Alright, look," Max pulls up his Omni-tool and shows him a picture on the screen, "It's an all-black suit; pants and coat with a white shirt. They all have a red tag on them so look for it. Once you have it then bring it back up here as fast as you can," Max instructs him.

Ma'Rice only shakes his head, "*sigh* fine, I'll be back soon and that's if I find them," Ma'Rice tells him as he turns back to the exit.

"Be quick, would you? I need to be ready now and I don't know if Annali is coming back soon," Max tells him.

"Sure." The doors close behind him, leaving Max to the mess he had made. Ma'Rice tries to remember where the Laundromat was in the building. There were several places all over the building but what mattered was which one had his clothes. There were a possible 6 different places he could look but each one was a fair distance from one another meaning if he tried looking in every place he would surely be too late to get back to Max in time for his date to which he was down to only an hour left. So he had to make a choice and fast, " _Spirits dammit, Max. You just had to complicate yourself,"_ he chose the nearest Laundromat from his location. It was only a 15 walk between there and him… but he could make in 8 if he ran. Taking a right opposite of the hallway that led to the elevator he made a dash toward the staircase that supposedly leads down to the Main Hall as he remembered.

After reaching the end of the hallway he cut the corner and headed down the straightaway that led to many other apartments that belonged to people who had the money to own such a good place. He was almost jealous of Max for getting Annali to let him stay in her apartment, and that was only because she wanted to be there for him since he was crippled 5 months ago. Even more, he was jealous of Max for being the lucky one out of everyone in the group back on the Trianis. Despite betraying Annali's trust, he was able to regain her trust once again. Something he wasn't able to do before and never got the chance to. But now he had someone to look after again and he never anticipated himself getting into a relationship with a Human. The Irony was that he never felt secure around humans before and here he was dating one. He was only glad he could help Max when he needed it most and he only assumed he would do the same as well.

Eventually, he came across the Main Hall after going down a long set of stairs that led to a very large room complex. It was decorated with plants from every homeworld from the Citadel races; coming from the west corner was the Salarian Soropod Tree that produced Gyiana fruit which was chosen as their signature plant, coming from the South corner was the Batarian Changrat plant; however after their secession from the Council it hasn't been looked after in a while. On the East corner was the Turian Tree which stood tall over all others; the Ty'natlle Tree. Known to often provide an avalanche of flavors from its own sap, it was used as the Human equivalent to syrup as a condiment. And standing at the North Corner was the very luminescent Atlyan (At-Lie-Ahn) Tree. Said to have been blessed by Athame's own touch when she once used to walk the surface of Thessia, their blue glow was said to house her own spiritual essence and glowed brightly in the night. From what he had heard, the Atlyan trees strangely possessed the ability to trap Eezo within its own bark as it could be seen flowing through the trunk up, traveling up through its branches, and through its leaves giving it a pulsing theme. In the center was a new addition as a commemoration for the Human race and their acceptance into Citadel Council. He watched as the dirt from their homeworld was being dumped around the newly planted tree, from what he knew, It was said it would grow over the years and it would take some time before it reached its maximum height which was supposedly higher than the Ty'natlle. Only time would tell.

Taking a detour around the landscaping business, he followed up the stairs to another large hallway that led to various stores. A sort of Mini-Mall you could say. It was still a long run to get to the end of it but after going through hordes of people and salesmen he finally reached the Laundromat…

Which turned out to be closed.

"OH COME ON!" he shouted in frustration but quickly covered his mouth in order to avoid embarrassment. All this time, it was closed and now he only had another 10 minutes to get to the next one which was on the other side of the building. On the gate, it read a note saying, _**"Our deepest apologies but the Laundromat will be closed early for today. We will open as soon as possible in the morning. This goes for the others as they have been shut down temporarily as well."**_

" _If this place is closed then that means the others might be closed as well. This was all pointless,"_ he thought to himself. He tried to see through the grated gate, only able to see the silhouettes of vending machines and leftover clothes left for the morning. Shaking his head, he decided it was best to break the news to Max. But before he left he saw there was a basket of clothes right next to the gate, sitting beside the counter. Curious, Ma'Rice decided to take a closer look. He noticed it was all folded neatly, perhaps they had just been dried recently. As he observed the clothes on top he noticed a red tag on what looked to be a black jacket. Next to it was a pair of unfolded pants, which by looking at it from an angle he could see the tag from inside waistband, "Hey Max," he called him up on the comms.

" **What? Did you find it?"** he asks.

"I think so. Does the tag read, 'CHaLk'?" he asks.

" **YES, that's it. Bring it over here quickly, I don't have much time,"** Max tells him.

"There's one problem."

" **What?"**

"The place is closed and I can't get through the gate without sounding the alarm," he informs him.

" **Can't you hack it?"**

"I would… if it only had a terminal for me to interface with but I don't see anywhere or anything that resembles it," Ma'Rice looks all around the frame of the door but finds nothing he could possibly interface with, "Nope, nothing. Sorry, Max, it looks like a bust," he tells him.

" **Did you check if it has a metal lock?"** Ma'Rice blinks and looks down, right in front of him was a metal lock linking the two hinges together.

"Uh… sure… Of course. Yes, there is," He tells him.

" **Oh thank god. Can you break it open?"** he asks.

"If I do that then I might trip the alarm off. I need to break the hinges and open the door slowly. They look like they're screwed to the floor so I might try prying them from the floor," Ma'Rice explains his plan.

" **Yyyyyeaahh… you do that and try and come up with something more realistic and you better be quick, there are probably cameras there and a lot of people walking about. If they see you then you're screwed. Aha, get it? Screwed; you might be screwed- the hinges are screwed… to the floor…. Eh?"** Max tries to humor him.

"I'll talk to you later Max," he cuts the call and gets to work. He could probably scramble the cameras with his Omni-tool but it would only last 10 seconds before they clear up. He has to time this carefully as he needs to keep an eye out for other people walking by, " _Alright, let's get frisky,"_ he sits down next to the gate so as to look inconspicuous, he needs to leave the impression of a late customer forgetting his clothes in the mat. After a few minutes of waiting, and no one in sight, he makes his move. Pulling up his Omni-tool, he initiates the hack and scrambles the camera. His time has started.

Getting up off his butt, he moves to clutch the lock and begins to twist it, trying to snap off the hinges linked to it. He wasn't going to try and break the lock but at least try and pry the hinges apart so that they break. He puts an incredible amount of force into the lock as his hands grip it tightly, little by little, the hinges begin to bend. He only has less than 5 seconds left so he puts his full body into the motion and eventually breaks the hinges off, successfully unlocking the gate. With little time on his hands, he grabs the gate and pulls it up just a little so he can reach in and grab what he needed. Once he had Max's clothes in hand he quickly closed the gate and sat down where he was in order to give the illusion he hadn't moved in those 10 seconds. The last second's rolls of the clock and the camera's clear up, quickly fixing itself on Ma'Rice and scanning the surrounding area. The Alarm hadn't tripped so that meant it was a flawless extraction. He waited a minute or so before hiding the clothes out of sight behind his body and getting to leave. Once Ma'Rice was out of range of the camera he decided to speed walk his way so as to look less suspicious since he was carrying around a ball of clothes with him, " _That was really close,"_ he told himself. He wished someone could've seen it and commented on how smooth he was but, sadly, the whole point was to not get caught.

As he made his way into the Main Hall he brought up his Omni-tool and called Max, "Max, I have your clothes now. I'm on my way back," Ma'Rice informs him.

" **You did? Awesome, thank god. I was starting to get worried, now hurry up it almost 7:00 and I'm just about done cleaning the place up,"** Max tells him.

"Copy that," Ma'Rice jokes as he disconnects and makes the rest of the way a run straight to home base.

After the grueling torture of stairs and crowds of people, Ma'Rice finally arrived only lagging behind 10 minutes, and by that time it was already 7:12. Once Ma'Rice got to the door he let out a loud gasp, never running so fast just to deliver a set of clothes for someone, "Max *knock* *knock* open up! I got your-" he held it up as the door opened.

"Jesus, man, what took you so long? I need to get to the place now or else I'll be late," Max took the clothes and began taking off his current ones without a care anyone could walk by.

"Max don't be so dramatic, we'll have plenty of time to spare once we get to my car… and why are you just stripping in front of me?" Ma'Rice asks.

"Why are you still looking?" Max asks as he kicks off his shorts. Taking his pants from the floor, he struggles to put them on and bounces off the floor as he inches his feet into the pant legs.

"Max people can see your ass right here if they just happen to walk b-" and just as he says that two Asari walk by, curiously looking over his shoulder and giggling as they watch the attractive human attempt to put on his clothes.

"Oh, my *giggles*" one of them whispers, both eyeing Ma'Rice and Max at the same time as they walk away giggling.

"No wait, I'm not with him I-…. Ugh, Spirits damn me, WOULD YOU HURRY!" Ma'Rice shouts at him.

"Hold on, I almost… got it! Let me just tuck my shirt in and put on my shoes," Max says as he begins stuffing his buttoned shirt into his waist. Quickly and smoothly, Max tucks it in, puts on his shoes, and grabs the newly cleaned suit jacket.

"Come ON let's move," Ma'Rice practically drags him out.

"Alright! Alright!" Max quickly puts on his suit jacket and buttons up the only two buttons on it. Max then clips on a classic chrome watch on his left wrist as they speed walk their way to the elevator, "There we go, nothing bad about going a little classic today," he tells himself.

"Today is special I guess," Ma'Rice assumes.

"It's the first official date we've ever planned together. All those others on the Trianis were just little meets since we were working together."

"Right, you were "working" with her," Ma'Rice gestured with his two fingers.

"Oh hush, would you? How are you still so salty for something that happened so long ago. Besides, we made it out alive didn't we?" Max elbows his arm as they quickly reach the elevator at the end of the hall. Ma'Rice pushes the button leading down to the garage and the doors close before them.

"Yes, we did. But at the cost of what? Hundreds of our own people dead because neither of their Governments had good intel. Not even your own people and they were the ones that created the problem in the first place," Ma'Rice reminds him.

"True, but we never thought Cerberus would turn on us. They were another branch of our military who just so happened to think they were a better fit to lead us. You can't say we're the only ones whose own military to decided to turn against you," Max tells him.

"You got me there. Sorry about that; the battle is still fresh in my mind," Ma'Rice explains.

"It's not going to leaving us anytime soon, brother. I'm sure the crew is having a great time on their extended shore leave, they definitely need it," Max says as he checks his watch.

"I'm definitely enjoying it, and I intend to keep doing so. But right now, you need a quick ride to the… what was the place again?" Ma'Rice asks.

"I think it was called _Ryuusei's Sushi Bar._ Annali told me it was a great place to get together so she reserved a table for us this evening," Max explained.

"Oh, that place? Yeah, I know it, it's near the Zakera Ward. Not too far but from here but depending on traffic, it could take a while…"

 ***Boop* *Parking Lot B3***

"Speaking of which, we better hurry if you're going to make it to the 7:30 deadline," Ma'Rice tells him as they exit the elevator. Ma'Rice leads Max to his blue Sky-car and opens the doors with his Omni-tool.

"Nice ride, is it new?" Max asks.

"No, get in."

"Okay…," Max sits down awkwardly. The doors shut automatically and suddenly the nose of the car jerks back as Ma'Rice pulls back on the controls, "Whoa, you sure this ain't new?" Max asks.

"Would you believe me if I said, 'It didn't belong to me,'?" he asks.

"No…" Max stares at Ma'Rice in the eyes. But as he looks deeper into them he begins to realize something, "Yes? Wait, are you serious, did you just steal this-"

"No, of course not, I'm just 'borrowing' it until I drop you off then I'll return it to its rightful place, no big deal," Ma'Rice says as he exits the Lot and joins the traffic.

"Ma'Rice you can't steal stuff like that, man. For Christ's sake, you're in the military, you could get court-martialed," Max tries to talk some sense into him.

"Max, these things don't just belong to a specific person, they're a public good; meaning they belong to everyone who needs it and this is no different," Ma'Rice explains.

"Then why did you ask me if I believed you if you didn't actually steal it?" Max asks.

"It was just a joke geez. Can't you humans take a joke?"

"If this was a joke then why does this car have a picture of a family of Salarians and bags filled with crap in the back?" Max asks as he pulls out a picture from the cabinet in front of them and gestures toward the luggage in the back seat. Ma'Rice's mouth falls open and he stares at Max in shock.

"Well shit."

"You got to return the car!" Max says as he tries to take control of the car.

"We're practically out of time and you want to head back to the lot just because you want to be civil right now?" Ma'Rice asks as he keeps his grip on the controls.

"I don't want to have to tell Annali I can't make it because someone put me in jail for stealing a damn car now turn us around," Max tries to turn the car but causes it to sway to the left.

"You want to tell Annali why you were 30 minutes late? I didn't think so, so let's go!" Ma'Rice pushes him, causing the car to sway to the right.

"Better than sitting somewhere behind bars!"

"How about you try thinking for once in your life. This isn't a big deal you big baby!"

"I ain't no baby!" Max tries to get him off the seat, pushing him into an awkward angle but Ma'Rice retaliates by pushing his face away.

"Well you're certainly acting like a toddler!" their commotion causes Ma'Rice to let go of the controls as he tries to hold Max back, the lack of conscious control to the car causes the car to misbehave and drift to the left and out of the traffic lane, cars honking their horns for their stupidity.

"Would you quit your fuckery and let me take over now?! You're going to make us crash!" he tells him irritatingly.

"How about you quit your bitching and sit your ass down like the little baby you are!" Ma'Rice shouts, causing Max to stop and stare at him.

His brows furrow into an angry stare and Max shouts in anger, "RAAAAAAHH!" the two then duke it out inside the car, shaking it back and forth, left and right into the other lane of traffic. The Cars see the incoming car and quickly dart out of the way; some ascending over the lane and others diving down as the pilotless car loses control and flies past the lane.

"THIS ISN'T A BIG DEAL DAMN IT!"

"YOU'RE THE ONE WHO STOLE THE CAR! WHO STEALS SOMEONE's CAR IN A PARKING LOT!"

"OH, YOU JUST LIKE BEING DRAMATIC, DON'T YOU!?"

The two twist in turn in the cockpit and suddenly, without either of them knowing, Ma'Rice accidentally grabs the controls and pulls it, taking the car up into the artificial atmosphere, "WHOAOOOAAAHHH!" the two yell as the car suddenly angles up. The car takes the two high up into the atmosphere, the inertia pulling them to the back of the car.

"Whaa-aa-aaat…. aa-aaare… youuuu… d-ddoinnnngg?" Max asks as he holds onto the seat.

"I can't grab the control's…. t-their locked in ascension mode," Ma'Rice struggles to hold onto the seat himself.

People from below watch as the car shoots up into the sky, curious and stunned to see someone try such a ridiculous stunt. Pedestrians from the presidium began taking pictures and videos of the 'stunt', left in pure awe as the car continued to climb higher and higher.

Max and Ma'Rice were left hanging as the car quickly began to speed up in order to avoid an engine stall, "Ma'Rice… you need t-tto… shut it OFF!" Max told him as his hands began losing their grip on the seat.

"I-I….. can't…. we're going to exit the atmosphere if we can't get to the controls in time…" Ma'Rice tells him.

"What h-happens… if… we exit the atmosphere?" Max asks.

Ma'Rice turns to face Max as he does the same, "W-We're going to drift into space!" he shouts.

"OH FUCK ARE YOU SERIOUS?!" Max asks.

"Nah, we're going straight to heaven- OF COURSE WE'RE GOING INTO SPACE! WHERE ELSE DO YOU THINK WE'RE GOING?!" Ma'Rice shouts.

"So… if we're g-going… into sp-p-pace does that m-mean we're going to l-lose-"

*Beeeooooooommmmmmm*

*Pfft*

…

"-power…"

All of a sudden, Max sees the picture of the Salarian family float past his face as well as one of the bags from the back. He started getting a weird butterfly feeling in his gut as if gravity suddenly left the building.

Which it did.

"Um… are we floating?" Max asks, hoping the feeling wasn't mutual as he looks at Ma'Rice for an answer.

"I think we just left the atmosphere," Ma'Rice answers as they both slowly stared out the window to see the glowing nebula shining behind the Citadel frame. The purple clouds floating around the forming star within the celestial phenomenon gave the Citadel a heavenly and stunning background.

"Woooooww…. This is awesome," Max says.

"It is… except for the fact that WE'RE FLOATING IN SPACE!" Ma'Rice shouts at him.

"Well, can't someone find us like… the Citadel defense fleet! Right?" Max suggests.

"Well maybe… if they decide to look out their windows then yeah, they would find us but they won't," he tells him.

"Maybe we can push on the window and-"

"And what; get shot out into space?"

"No, we should push and cause some force so we can get this thing going in the right direction," Max explains.

"You have no idea how physics works at all," Ma'Rice facepalms himself.

"Fine. What do you suppose we do, then?" Max asks.

Ma'Rice takes a look around the cabin of the car, looking for a way to restart the engines but it would require one of them to step outside but it also meant they would be exposed to the vacuum of space. If he opened the doors in the slightest it could depressurize the cabin and blast them into space, "*sigh* I don't know… maybe one of the ships will see us drift in the distance before we fly off into space," Ma'Rice shrugs.

"Fuck damn it, my first date and I'm already about to die in space because someone thought it was a good idea to take a shortcut through space," Max accuses.

"Oh, now it's on me again, eh? You can't seem to remember who it was you asked to take you. And rather than going by yourself you decided to call up your own designated driver," Ma'Rice gripped Max's shirt.

"Because you were the only one who could get a car and drive me there in no time and now…" Ma grips Ma'Rice's jacket, "I'M NEVER GOING TO MAKE IT TO MY DATE!" Max shouts.

"Why don't you shut your whore mouth! I'm the one who was supposed to drive!"

"And look where we are now!"

Immediately, the two began to choke each other, or rather, tried to; both of them had long arm spans and they tried to reach for each other but at the same time tried to keep their distances which only made it harder for them.

While they tried to kill each other, neither noticed the Asari Dreadnought _Destiny Ascension_ coming into view as it neared their vehicle.

[

"Mam, we're approaching the nav-point; rigging defenses to Stand-By Alert System!" One of the Asari Artificers informed.

"Very well, decrease velocity by 22.3 HL and bring us into a slow walk. Corporal, notify the Captain we are in position," The Asari commander ordered.

"Yes, mam," the Corporal nodded.

"*sigh* nothing like standing in the middle of nowhere 7 hours a day with practically no lunch in between," she told herself non-enthusiastically.

"Mam, the Captain is one her way," the Corporal informed.

"Good, now I can enjoy my hot drink from now on."

"Uh, mam, I think you should look at this…" one of the technicians waved to her.

"You can take it up with the Captain while I'm gone, I'm headed out now."

"I'm afraid this is… urgent," the private insisted.

"Ugh, this better be good," she diverted from leaving the bridge. Coming up from behind she stooped over her, "What is it?" she asked.

"I just picked this up on our radar; systems have calculated its trajectory and should miss the bridge by 15 feet. It doesn't seem to be ours," the corporal explains.

"So what? It's just debris from the fight a few months ago, there are still stragglers out there, it shouldn't be big enough to rupture the hull anyway. Geez, I thought it was urgent…" she took a sip from her mug as she began to walk away.

"I'm detecting life signs, mam."

"PFFFFFSHH!" immediately she spits out her drink and turned back to the technician, "WHAT! Are being serious with me?" she looked at the screen to see there was an object headed for them but with two pulsing dots indicating there were living beings inside it, "And this is coming across us when?"

"In about 7 seconds judging its speed," the technicians calculated.

The Lieutenant then walked away from the screen to the middle of the bridge to see outside the window, her eyes scanning for the object, "Where is it?"

"Right there!" one of the other Asari's point out.

The Lieutenant sees the object and she squints her eyes to see a blue colored object coming closer and closer until it came into clear view, "Is that a…." the whole bridge fell silent as they watched a Sky-car with a Turian and a Human floating within it trying to strangle each other.

Ironically, Max and Ma'Rice noticed something obvious and stared back at the bridge filled with stunned eyes staring right back at them.

"What…. in the fuuuu-" the Lieutenant mumbled.

A few seconds of silence went by as their eyes were still locked onto each other before the Sky-car drifted out of eye-sight.

At that point, the Captain walked into the bridge, "Are we in position, Lieutenant?" she asked but noticed everyone was looking a certain direction. She walked up to her left side and stared in the direction they were looking but saw nothing. She then noticed the Lieutenant had her favorite drink in hand, "Ah, thank you for getting my beverage, Lieutenant, I'll be taking over from here as you direct engineering," the Captain then took the mug out her hand and proceeded to take a sip. The Lieutenant simply stared at her hand, still too shocked to even speak.

The Lieutenant then made her way over to the Corporal, "Uhhh…. Corporal?"

"Yes… mam?"

"Can you get me the trajectory of that Sky-car?"

"Y-yes mam, stand by," the Asari went back to her terminal to calculate the car's trajectory, "Mam, based on the simulation, I believe it's headed toward the… 3rd Citadel Arm, it should be making a re-entry in about 6 minutes based on its current velocity," the Corporal explained.

"Get me C-Sec, I want them notified of the situation, immediately," she orders.

"You're not going to tell the Captain?" she asks.

"Not now, Corporal. Just notify them," she tells her.

"Yes, mam," the Corporal then opens a channel to the C-Sec HQ.

[

"Uh… what the fuck?" Max plainly asked.

"I think we just gave ourselves away, they're bound to know where we're going which means… they can save us!" Ma'Rice tells Max enthusiastically.

"Yeah, and arrest us."

"Crap, you're right. We can't take out the police either, we're going to get Court-Martialed for sure if we can't handle them," Ma'Rice crosses his arms.

Max nodded in agreement and joined him in wonder; they were surely going to be caught and 'rescued' but how could they avoid imprisonment while trying to get to the Restaurant? The question was out of the ordinary but Max saw a potential solution the more he thought about it.

*snap*

Max snapped his fingers in conclusion, "I got it, I think I know how we can make our escape," he stated.

"Please enlighten me," Ma'Rice gestured to him.

"Alright, check this out; Since they saw us, surely they would have contacted someone from one of the arms of the Citadel, most likely C-Sec. From the looks of it, we're headed toward one of the arms, which is good but we need to re-activate the Sky-car's engine if we want to avoid slamming straight into it," Max explains his plan.

"If we're going to re-activate the engines then we're going to have to interface with the terminal behind the cabin. From what I know about Sky-car's I think we can jumpstart the engine in space if you run a by-pass from the core to the Direct power conductor. This will initiate an emergency startup which should bring the car's systems back online but only temporarily," Ma'Rice adds in.

"Maybe you can take advantage of the protocol, hijack the function, and repurpose it. Right?" Max asks, unsure if it was even possible.

"I think I can but my hacking skills are a bit rusty so don't expect the best from me. If you miss the window to by-pass the core then you might spring a leak and the cabin will flood with radiation," Ma'Rice warns.

"Wait, so I'm doing it? You're the one who knows what you're doing so why don't you run the bypass while I hack the car," Max suggests.

"Fine, but even if you don't hack it the time we have on the emergency startup should be enough for us to glide into a parking lot or a rooftop. You get in the driver's seat while I start the by-pass," Ma'Rice tells him as he pulls himself over to the small hatch attached to the back while Max strapped himself down to the seat. Ma'Rice unlocks the small hatch and gets to work, "Alright, starting bypass. Get ready," Ma'Rice tells him.

"Better make it quick, we're getting awfully close to the arm. Anytime soon we'll be falling into the Artificial-gravity," Max warns.

"Noted," Ma'Rice begins to wire the core to a separate junction in which the power would flow to an external appliance. Theoretically, it would trick the car's computer system into thinking there was a sudden build-up of power in a single area causing it to start up the engine regardless of the environment in order to avoid having the car explode. This emergency power would give Max and Ma'Rice the time they need to re-enter and safely glide down through the artificial atmosphere without smashing into the building. However, their time would be extremely limited so they needed to make the best of their time.

Once Ma'Rice had rigged the core he notified Max, "All set here. You ready?" he asks him.

"Ready as I'll ever be, I guess," Max said as he gripped the controls.

"Good, once I trip the alarm you'll have full control for about 25 seconds which should be enough time for you hack into the software and hijack it. I'm going to trip it in 3… 2… 1…"

"Wait, hold on, I-"

"NOW!"

 ***Tzzkt…BZZZZZBZBZBZZZZZZ***

 ***POWER FLUCTUATION DETECTED! INITIATING EMERGENCY START-UP!***

 ***VVVVRRROOOMMM***

The holographic dashboard lit up and the engine roared back to life as Ma'Rice closed the hatch to the engine compartment, "Alright, now's your chance to hack it!" he told him as he floated back to the passenger seat.

"Yyyyyyeah… about that…" Max said as he slowly scratched his head in embarrassment.

"What?" Ma'Rice asks, already frightened of the issue.

"I kinda… forgot my Omni-tool… sorry…" Max tried to give an innocent smile as he tried to shrink back into his body.

"YOU WHAT? THEN WHAT WAS IT THAT YOU PUT ON YOUR WRIST?!" Ma'Rice shouted.

Max lifted his right wrist to reveal a black shoelace tied to it, "Well you were rushing me to go already so I grabbed what I thought was my-"

"And you didn't notice how flaccid it was? You fucking tied it to your wrist, no one ties their Omni-tool they just clip it on!" Ma'Rice shouts his logic into Max.

"Doesn't matter anyway cause we're going to- WHOAAAAA!"

"AAAAAAAHHHHH!" they both scream as they see a skyscraper coming into view and they were heading directly at it, "TURN!" Ma'Rice screams as he grips the seat tightly.

Max jerks the controls to the left causing the car to swerve left, the inertia dragging their bodies to the right side of the cabin.

*SKKREET*

The hull of the car scrapes the corner of the building as Max pilots the car away from building and into another, "OH SHIT!" they both shout as Max quickly dives the car down parallel to the building and gradually levels off as Max gently pulls up on the controls. The worst had finally passed.

"*huff* *huff* There… we're saf-"

"CAAARRR!" Ma'Rice shouts as he points at the incoming traffic.

"OAAHAAAAAA!" Max shouts in panic as he swerves to the left in order to dodge the oncoming car, "Okay *huff* *huff* now we're in the-"

"ANOTHER ONE!"

"SHIT!" Max swerves to the right, barely able to dodge the oncoming car as it zoomed past them. Pretty soon, Max and Ma'Rice where in full view of the incoming traffic.

"PULL UP! PULL UP!" Ma'Rice told him as he pulled the controls back for Max, making the car fly up over the traffic.

"Jesus Christ… *pant* that was…. ridiculously stupid…" Max said as he wiped the sweat from his forehead.

"*Pant* *pant* we're good for now but we'll only have a few seconds before the engine starts to-"

 ***VEEEEeeeooommm***

 ***Kaput***

The holographic dashboard disappears as well as the lights. Suddenly, the butterfly feeling fills their stomachs as the nose of the car begins to dip down toward the ground, "Uuuh can you hack it NOW!" Max elbows Ma'Rice.

"Hold on," Ma'Rice punches the main terminal in between them and cracks the plastic covering. Ripping it open, he quickly gets to work.

Max looks down at Ma'Rice then back at the nearing ground floor and then back at Ma'Rice, "Now would be a good time as anytime, what are you doing down there?" Max asks impatiently.

Ma'Rice emerges from inside the terminal with two blue glowing wires one in each hand, "It thinks it's what you Humans would call 'hotwiring'," he connects the two exposed ends. A small spark of electricity goes off and the engine comes back to life. The dashboard flashes up and Max pulls up on the controls, making them sit back down their seats as the car accelerates and begins to ascend back up to traffic level. Max wastes no time and merges with the lane despite their engine sputtering loudly, giving a very clear hint it wasn't going last.

"Uh, do you know where that bar is, by any chance?" Max asks.

"Okay-okay, I think we're in… the Zakera Ward, yes! I can see the stores from here. We just need to follow this lane here and we should reach the restaurant, soon," Ma'Rice tells him.

"Uh, how long is soon cause…" Max points at the fuel gauge and it shows the tiny red meter at near empty with the words 'EMPTY' flashing next to it.

"With what we got… I think you should step on it," Ma'Rice looks to Max.

"I just hope we have enough to make it. You tell me where it is while I keep an eye on the fuel," Max takes the car up over the lane and slams down on the acceleration, propelling them quickly toward their destination. Max's eyes dart back and forth between the gauge and what was in front of him, meanwhile, Ma'Rice recognized the stores they passed, each one meant they were getting closer and closer to the end. The main cause for their troubles in the first place. The very thing that sent them into space and now they were well on their way with a broken and battered car they just barely managed to commandeer safely.

"What time is it?" Max asked.

"About… 7:26," Ma'Rice stated.

"Crap, I'm almost going to be late. How far is it?"

"Not too far, it's just around…. HERE! Land there, there's an open landing pad right in front of the entrance!" Ma'Rice pointed. Max quickly turned the car toward the pad, using their last pint of fuel to rocket down toward it, "Uh don't you think you're going a bit fast?" Ma'Rice pointed out.

"Hold on, I got this, a learned this in a movie once. We should be able to stick the landing like this," Max reared up the car as it slammed down onto the landing pad and skidded out and into the walkway where everyone else was walking on. People quickly reacted in time as they saw the smoking heap make its approach and dodged the car as it slid across and slammed its side into a wall.

"Ugh… was the landing hard in that movie, damn my spine *groan*," Ma'Rice asked as he rubbed his neck.

"It was supposed to be softer *grunt* well at least we made it in one piece."

*Crreeeaakk*

*POOMF*

The doors fell apart to reveal them to everyone who had crowded around to see the accident. The controls had also fallen apart and completely detached from the main console, "Huh, not a scratch," Max said as he checked himself. Amazingly, his clothes had no wrinkles or rips.

"Can't say the same for the car. We better move now," Ma'Rice said as he got out of the car, Max following closely behind.

"Oh my god, are you two alright? Do I need to call an ambulance?" A human woman asked as she approached them.

"We're fine, mam. We just uh…. the car was just crappy is all and we're lucky we got out of it safely. No serious damage to it at all."

*BOOM*

The engine suddenly exploded into a plume of smoke, catching everyone off guard. Fortunately, no one was close to it as it was already smoking beforehand. Max and Ma'Rice turned around to the firey heap of metal, looking at each other and realizing had they remained in there for a few more seconds they would have definitely been engulfed in flames and shrapnel.

"You were saying," Max says referring to Ma'Rice's previous statement.

"Uh, shouldn't you be getting to a date?" Ma'Rice reminds Max.

"Oh crap, what time is it? 7:29, I gotta go, can you get back home?" Max asks.

"I can manage myself, don't worry, you go enjoy yourself. We'll see each other soon," Ma'Rice says as he departs and runs off. Police sirens sound off in the distance and become louder with every second. Max quickly blends into the crowd and runs up the steps leading to the entrance of the Bar. He had a minute to be on time and he was so close to his destiny. Now wasn't the time to back down from a long flight of stairs, "God have mercy on my soul," Max pleaded as he began jumping step after step.

[

"Mam, is your partner arriving soon?" The Salarian host asked.

"He'll be here soon, I promise you, just one more minute is all I ask," Annali negotiates with the impatient Salarian.

"*sigh* If he isn't here in the next 30 seconds I will have to give up your table to another group who is gladly willing to take your reservation," the Salarian told her.

He was starting to get on Annali's nerves; she had been negotiating with the little weasel for the past 10 minutes in order to give Max some time to arrive. She knew Max would have arrived much earlier but now it was taking him even longer than usual. At this point, it would have been wise to call her up and notify her that he wasn't going to make it. Annali crossed her arm in anticipation and began looking around behind her, searching for the man that promised to take her out for dinner.

"12 seconds left, is he coming?" the Salarian asked as he checked his Omni-tool.

Annali growled in agitation at the Salarian, "Just… hold on," she asked politely.

"6… 5… 4… 3… 2…"

" _Spirits, please,"_ Annali closed her eyes for the final judgment.

"1-"

"HEY, I MADE IT!" Max shouted as he jumped the last step, "Annali, where- *huff* where you at?" Max shouted as he bent down to catch his breath.

"Is… that him, madam?" the Salarian asked.

"Yes, it is, let me go get him," Annali told him as she walks over to Max. She places a hand on his shoulder, "Max, you okay there, hun?" she asks. Max takes in one last breath before looking up to an astonishing beauty standing over him; Annali had picked the most marvelous and breathtaking dress he had ever seen on a woman and it only added to her beauty with her new facial markings. It was no longer the traditional blue and white but rather a darkish blue fading into a lighter hue. Her brow plates now had a more elegant design as each had a mirrored decal which started as a small point, like a diamond and curved out just past midway the length of her plate. Her blue and white diamond that had originally adorned her center head crest was replaced with the same pattern but the color had been copied and repainted. A long streak ran down the length her mandibles, both had been colored a dark purple that also gave hints of blue, it was a way to trick the mind into thinking it was either one and regardless, it worked with her overall dress. Annali decided to ditch the extra robe and went with the free hand version instead, "Max, you okay?" Annali asks.

"What, oh, no I-I'm fine. Never better," Max fixes himself, standing back up and straightening out his coat to flatten out any wrinkles. Annali was equally impressed at Max as he had picked a good casual suit for a night out, and his newly shaved face only added to his overall appearance.

Annali wrapped her arm around Max's left arm and pulled him close, "Sure you are, now come on. Take a lady out for dinner?" Annali asked cutely.

"Well, you were the one who invited but being the fantastic gentleman I am, I will make a counter offer and invite you… want to go eat?" Max gave a cheeky smile.

"*giggle* I gladly accept," Annali giggles at his silliness as he guides them towards the entrance. The people in line watched them with curiosity as Annali walked with Max, their arms linked together. It wasn't so long ago after the incident on Shanxi the Humans and Turians were on very bad terms and now several months later, here was a couple from both sides of the spectrum walking together hand-in-hand. Max and Annali walked up to the Salarian host, his face somewhat confused and shocked, "It seems my partner has arrived, care to show us to our table now?" she asked with a smug look. The Salarian had no reason to even make a rebuttal since her partner was the Human equivalent of a Krogan.

"*gulp* Of course, you may follow me over to your reservation," the Salarian nodded and gestured for them to follow.

"What's with him?" Max asks.

"Oh, nothing. Come on slow poke we're going to lose him," she pulled him to speed his pace.

"Nah, I like taking it easy… and vvveerrrryyy sssslloooooowwww," Max pretended to fall asleep in the middle of the restaurant.

"Spirits, Max can you get any slower?" Annali says while pulling him.

"Is that a request?"

"You are impossible." She shook her head.

"I tend to defy impossible, Mam," Max brags as they catch up the Salarian.

"So can I, but that all depends if I do my job right which I always do," Annali takes her turn to brag.

"What kind of job is that?" Max asks curiously.

"That's classified," Annali gives a cheeky smile.

"Oooh, very secretive. Does it involve me?" Max asks hoping to get a clue.

"…maybe…" Annali shrugs, not giving an accurate hint.

"Mmm, don't make me use my detective on you. You know how good I am at reading you, Sweetheart," Max gives a playful warning.

Annali was slightly worried he would try to read her but luckily for her, the Salarian had already brought them over to a table at the edge of a balcony, "I hope this will be the best of comfort for you, this site has become a personal favorite amongst many couples. I hope it will be the same for you," the Salarian states as Max pulls a chair for Annali to sit.

"Thank you, Max."

"I will give you these Menus and some time to pick something of your own personal tastes. May I start you off with some refreshments?" the host asks.

"I think we'll both have some water," Annali tells him.

"Very well, I will only be a moment," the Salarian nods in acknowledgment and walks away, leaving Max and Annali to each other.

"This whole time I was walking with you I didn't even notice until now that you were walking barefoot today. Aren't you cold?" Max asks as he looks under the table to get another look at her feet which was a weak excuse to look at her legs. To which Annali quickly caught wind of and caught his head in her hand, pushing it back up.

"Nah-ah-ah, not here, Mr. Tereshkova, we're in public," Annali teases him.

"Hey, I'm just pointing out the obvious and all I'm asking is why you decided to go for it is all. I mean don't get me wrong, it's a good choice to… um… walk barefoot today it's a… warm day, right?" Max loses his train of thought. Annali was waiting for him to finish his thought but knew he was in a hard spot to keep complimenting her. Flattering, but it was very humorous on her side and she knew she had the power to break the awkwardness.

"Well… to answer your question I decided to go bare just because I felt like I wanted to. Sometimes we like to let our bodies breathe once in a while and I definitely like the cool air between my legs," Annali explained.

"It seems you wanted to show more than just your legs to me…" Max implied toward the opening that revealed practically the whole left side of her torso. He wasn't sure if she was even cold because of it but if she was, she was hiding it very well.

Annali blushed at his comment, but then when she thought about it, she started to get the feeling Chari had intentionally made the opening wider than it was supposed to be. With this in mind, she felt that her dress was definitely implying something else other than just being there for a night out to dinner, " _Damn it, Chari, no wonder you were so eager for me to try it in the first place._ I typically don't like to show this much skin in public but I certain friend of mine kept persuading me to wear it. I-I don't know, does it really look like I'm showing too much?" Annali rubbed her arm in embarrassment.

Max noticed her blush and reached over to her free hand, clutching it gently to comfort her, "No no no, I'd say you're showing just the right amount tonight. There's nothing bad with showing a little bit of yourself every now and then as long as they aren't the 'forbidden' parts," Max jokes, making Annali laugh loudly, her laugh making Max join in laughter as well.

"Heh-heh, *ahem* thank you, Max, I needed that," Annali composed herself, stifling a giggle.

"No problem, you know who to come to for help," Max reminds her kindly.

"Yes… I do," Annali looks at him, making direct eye contact with his own. Max then notices just how much her eyes went with her new facial markings, they definitely brought out the shine and color in her eyes and it just made him feel even luckier for meeting her on the Trianis. No other woman would have understood his grief over his family but Annali had spent nearly whole life grieving for her mother and living in pure hate for Humans. He remembered how much she thanked him for pulling her out of the dark hole that constantly held her down. It was like she owed him for saving her life from an existence consumed in hate. But this was more than just a promise for a promise, Annali had found someone who deeply understood her own grief, even more, he knew much worse grief than she ever would. She could see it in his eyes that he was a better person than before, at least that's what it looked like; he was always silly but he had much more integrity and self-respect than before. Like her, he also thanked her for helping him accept his own grief. Both of them had felt lucky to have met each other if they hadn't then they would have surely taken their grief far into their more advanced years.

Before Max could say something in regards to their first time together, the Salarian arrived with a single large plate carrying two large glasses of iced water, "Here are your drinks for the moment, should you request any more I will be walking around tending to others so just flag me down. But right now, I would hope you two have found your desired meals for tonight," the Salarian reminded them. Both Max and Annali's eyes widen in realization as they had forgotten to even look through the menu.

"Oh uh, yeah let me just find it. I saw it earlier as I was flipping through the pages so it should just be around… here," Max pointed at one, "The… _Mesa Fillete Omlette_ with fried shrimp as a side," Max told him.

"Very well… and for you madam?" the Salarian asked as he wrote down Max's order.

"Let me look for it as well, a sort of lost the page I was on…" Annali quickly flipped through the pages to try and find a course that looked appetizing for her at first glance, "I'll have the _Terrainian Esquat Dish_ ," Annali hands him the menu.

"Excellent choice, I will have your orders brought once they are done, please excuse me," the Salarian then saw himself out.

" _Terrainian Esquat_ , wonder what it could be. Vegetarian I suppose?" Max makes a guess.

"My species doesn't typically eat Vegetarian meals; we're primarily carnivorous so our meals revolve around eating other animals," Annali explains.

"So it's a bird of some sort?" Max asks.

"You could say that, yes; it's from one of our colony worlds, Terrania. Hence the name _Terranian Esquat_ It's a delicacy practically everywhere _,"_ Annali stated further.

"Just like chicken," Max licked his lips, the mere thought of it made his mouth water.

The next few minutes were spent talking to each other and laughing at each others jokes; Annali was trying her best to keep herself from losing it in public since Max couldn't stop the barrage of jokes and silly stories. Max was having a hard time trying to get a word out without giggling at the thought of it. Even though their relationship was seen as strange and rare to others in the restaurant, their behavior somewhat gave them a sense of hope that perhaps the two tense races may one day settle their differences and coexist peacefully just as the others have. One could only hope.

As their meals had finally arrived, both Max and Annali were very eager to get on with the next course in their night. Max cracked his knuckles as he prepared himself for an avalanche of flavors. Annali rolled her eyes as he overexaggerated himself, instead, she just began to dig into her meal.

"Ooooh… thass HOT!" Max nearly spit out his food.

"*snort* PFFFHAHAHA, you ever wait for it to cool down before eating, Max?" Annali laughed.

"Right," Max nodded as he picked up his plate and leaned over the railing of the balcony.

"Max, what are you doing?" Annali asks, confused.

"Letting the wind cool it down since it's pretty windy here," Max tells her.

"Max you could drop it, even better, someone could outright take it from your hands if they see you. It's pretty common around here," Annali tells him.

"Oh come on, that never really happens around he-"

"YEEHOO!"

*SNATCH*

And in the blink of an eye, Max's Omlette disappears from his hands. Max stares blankly at his hands as he's left stunned on the edge of the balcony, "W-… Wha-… WHAT THE FUCK?!" What just-?" Max stooped over the ledge and saw a yellow car with a Turian hanging out the door, Omlette in hand.

"Is there a problem, mister?" the Salarian asked, hearing the commotion.

"Someone just- They just freaking took my Omlette right out of my hands! MY OMELETTE DAMMIT!" Max yells in disbelief.

"Did you hold it out over the ledge?" the Salarian asks nonchalantly.

"I… I… did," Max confirms hesitantly.

"Well, it is very common for people to have their meals taken out of their tables from hijackers passing by. It's no surprise really," the Salarian explains to him.

"Wha-" Max looks to Annali as she takes in a piece of her meal from her fork.

"Told you," she tells him with a stuffed smile.

Max had no reply and was only left standing there in disbelief and with no dinner to satisfy his hunger, "Ugh… can I get another to compensate for the last one?" Max asks.

"If we do that you will have to pay for it again," the Salarian tells him.

"What? This is ridiculous, you're seriously going to charge me for another one?"

"On top of that, you will still have to pay for the one you just ordered."

"That's practically extortion!" Max practically yells.

"If you are not satisfied with our establishment then may I ask for you to take your business elsewhere; there are people here who wish to eat peacefully," the Salarian points out.

Annali spits out her food and stands up to face the Salarian, "How is that fair? You never had this rule before, why now?" she asks, now curious.

"That is none of your business," the Salarian spits.

"What the hell do you mean it isn't? It very much is my damn business; you're trying to rip us off by paying for something that was just stolen," Annali argues, her temper rising. Her voice gets the attention of the other customers and their eyes curiously flutter over to them.

"Those are the rules of this establishment, Ms. Veren. If you wish to talk to the manager then I will gladly direct you to him."

"Funny that you say that since your tag reads 'HOST.' That makes you the closest thing to a manager in this establishment. Now ain't that ironic?" Max asks a bit sarcastically.

"Well I… You- YOU have nothing to hold against me sir; those are the rules of the establishment and I have a sole duty to uphold them," the Salarian stutters, trying to hide his embarrassment as Max called him out.

"Not so much of an establishment when your rules force someone to pay for the stolen goods, now doesn't that sound like Extortion, and if remember correctly; your restaurant was already called to court for the very same reason: you're currently on a court order. Is that ringing any bells?" Annali asks. The Salarian is left with an open hanging mouth, no response was coming out of him. The people had begun whispering amongst each other with the new information, one couple threw their handkerchief's to the table and started for the exit. Causing the Salarian to freak out from the inside. Max already knew what she was trying to do and he couldn't be any more prouder, "If not, then maybe it will when I bring this to the court tomorrow morning. I'm sure they'll get a kick out of this… or could it be because you're against mixed couples like us, is that it?" she threw the racial question. Max almost snorted, as he managed to keep his laugh inside.

"W-What I-I-I would never make such an…" The Salarian looked behind him to see one of his customers getting up and leaving, their faces filled with disgust. People around them were conversing and considering leaving like the others.

The Salarian host was at a loss for words; his own work detail was just as disgusted and even made gestures to their co-workers. Annali sidestepped him and wrapped her right arm around Max's left, "Come on, Max, I'm sure there's another place out there who won't be as prejudiced as this," they began to walk out before the Salarian turned around.

"WAIT!" he called out to them. Max and Annali turned around to meet the Salarian as he gave a sigh, "Fine, I won't charge you extra- in fact, I won't charge you at all for the meals. Just don't make a case against us, please, it'll ruin us," the Salarian bargained. This is what Annali was striving for him to do.

"Alright, you have yourself a deal," she accepted, letting the Salarian let out a sigh of relief, "But I won't be finishing my order, I've already lost my taste for the Esquat… I have a more mouth-watering meal in mind," Annali stated as her Turian pupils locked onto the Salarian, her tongue licking her lips, revealing her sharp teeth and adding to her predator-like appearance. The Salarian was in pure terror as he could not move, fear had kept him in place, worried for with the slightest movement could spell death.

"I think he's had enough Annali, you don't want him to piss his pants now do you?" Max gently turned her away from the Salarian as he led her to the exit.

"That would have been a sight to see," Annali chuckled.

As soon as Annali and Max left, the Salarian collapsed on his knees and covered himself with his clipboard, trying to shield himself from the many eyes gazing down at him, "I hate Mondays…" he mumbled.

[

The Wards were littered with various different stores in just about every direction; Flashy signs hung away from the complexes and vendors stood outside, handing out samples of their own cuisines from their homeworlds. The many alien smells tickled and inspired curiosity in Max, his mind creating as many possible tastes imaginable. As they walked, Annali introduced Max to some Turian foods that wouldn't cause any allergic reactions to him, though, the Doc wouldn't be so fond of Max taking in foreign foods, even with his genetic condition possibly altering his body chemistry to the point where it couldn't consume anything that wasn't Earth-bound. She was very careful and selective as to which ones he could try, she didn't want to risk ruining their night out so early all because of a berry.

"So what was this called again; Veroo-nnaah-hraa?" Max tried to apply the accent to the strange word.

"*chuckle* It's _Veronahhra-squereh,_ you forgot the 'squereh.' And loosen up on the emphasis to the -ahhra- part. You sound like your trying to hold in a fart," Annali giggled.

"I don't know, that last sample is kind of giving me a little… tickle in the stomach. Not sure if that's bad or good but if I wake up tomorrow with my insides still intact then I'll probably be back here again," Max promises.

"I'm sure you will."

As they continued walking they came across one of the many parks recently reconstructed and remodeled following the Geth attack months after the initial fight. The park grounds had live grass and the paths were lined with gray brick, with red colored ones lining the edges. Behind the benches that sat on the edge of the path was a long row of bushes that covered the small area of trees and grass behind them, effectively hiding anything beyond or short of the pathway. And although the park was remodeled, there were no extensions to the perimeter; the original grounds were kept and the place was remodeled. The only thing other than the newly placed grass was the massive tree in the middle of the park that united the pathways in a donut-shaped area where benches lined the inner and outer edges of the circle. Luckily, there weren't as many people out walking the paths which meant more privacy for them. This reminded Annali of something and she pulled Max to her, gesturing toward the park, "Hey Max, sorry for what happened back in the restaurant, it's not what I planned to happen but I wanted to show you something tonight. Something special," she told him.

Max turned to her, "Special? What did you want to show me?" he asks.

"Let's head over to the park, there's too many people here to show you," she pulled him into the path leading to the park center. As they walked further, Max could smell a different aroma coming from the park beside all the cooking oil and grease he could smell from the market. The smell was much more natural and his lungs fully embraced the fresh oxygen entering through his nostrils. The trees that lined the park also blocked most of the noise coming from the markets and flying traffic, giving a special theme to couples walking through.

"Oh yeah, this is much better than living in a ship for months on end," Max stated.

"But sometimes the best times are spawned in a confined space… and you meet some new people as well. Maybe even people you'd call best friends," Annali added.

"Possibly even a partner…" Annali looked up to him as he said, giving her a warm feeling, reminding her of their first time together. Before she could say something in return he quickly added, "-in crime."

"Oh come on."

"OOF!" Max flinched slightly as Annali elbowed him.

"I honestly thought you were going to take advantage of the moment," Annali stated.

"Well I did, didn't I?" Max shrugged, a cheeky smile spread across his face.

"Great, now you killed the mood," Annali rolled her eyes as she shook her head, removing her arm from his as she stepped away.

"Oh, I'm… sorry, I didn't realize you were very serious I was just trying to… lighten the mood a little," Max apologized, realizing his misinterpretation of the moment, "Annali I'm sorry, you wanted to show me something?" Max asks bringing back the original subject.

"I don't know if I want to show you now… I'm afraid you might laugh," she nervously crossed her arms as she rubbed her neck, a small blush appearing across her cheeks.

Nononono, I promise I won't, look… here-" he gently grasped her hands in his and pulled her down to sit on a bench, "We have the place all to ourselves right now, you can show me anything you want. No one else is here to judge you but me. I'm your audience, now what was it you wanted to show me, Anne?" Max asks calmly and warmly.

Annali took a deep breath, letting his hands warm hers helped her lose her tenseness; she had wanted to show him for so long but each time she felt she needed to work on it a little more, trying her very best to perfect it to where it was at least intelligible. Taking one last breath in she nodded, "Okay, just… don't laugh, alright?" she asked him as she looked at him in the eyes.

"I promise," Max nodded.

Annali removed her hands from his grasp and reached over to her right wrist where her Omni-tool was, unclipping it and shutting it off. Max was a little confused as to why she shut it off; without it, she wouldn't be able to understand him and he would be able to-

Wait a minute…

Annali inhaled and spoke, " _Can you understand me, Max?"_ she spoke in pure English.

"…." Max's jaw dropped in pure shock from what his ears clearly picked up.

Annali wasn't sure if he really understood so she tried again, "Am I… saying it right?" she asked even clearer. His response was a simple nod.

"Y-…. I…. W-" Max stuttered, unable to form coherent words to state his own emotions. Annali awaited his response patiently, however, anxiously; she had studied intensely for this moment and she wanted to make sure she got it right. Her species vocal cords evolved to create and form their own unique language through occasional clicks and special use of the tongue with every word and punctuation and to override that natural feeling was incredibly difficult to overcome and control at will.

"*ahem* Did I do well?" she asks again.

Max's expression of pure shock quickly turned to a warm smile, " _Incredible,"_ he spoke in Turian. Now it was Annali's turn to be surprised.

"W-What? You learned-" she started to speak in her natural language before Max cut her off.

"How to speak Turian? Of course; my job as an N7 Trainee required I learn the language of other nations… or species," Max nodded as he explained.

"Oh Spirits, I should have seen this coming," Annali chuckled to herself.

"But you didn't. I usually knew what you were saying when I didn't have my communicator on but you completely took me by surprise and… heh," Max shook his head in disbelief, "I loved that," he told her. He hadn't laughed at her and didn't mock her at all. But he knew her species language from the start. Another filthy secret. But in the end, that was all in the past in another time when they were still enemies. And now… lovers on both sides of a fight that nearly ended in all-out galactic war. She did her job and he did his. They were simply orders coming from the highest parts of their government.

That didn't mean she had to follow them.

Annali smiled warmly and cupped his cheek, feeling the smoothness of his freshly shaved face; his skin always felt nice in her hands and she always relished in the feeling of it. And the phenomenon that was his hair always pleasured her senses to no end. It was impossible to not look at it and not get the urge to touch it. It felt so good and he always smelled of soap… except after missions, then he just smelled like shit.

"Thank you," she responded, guiding his head toward hers as she leaned in as well to connect their bodies in a warm embrace. It was a feeling all too familiar to Annali as her lips connected with his, sending a jolt of pleasure up her spine. His lips felt funny, as usual as hers were a little less softer than his but, nonetheless, the fact that they were his brought her even closer to his body. Max's hands found themselves working their way up from her rib cage down to her thin waist to her hips, sending goosebumps up her back as his light touches began to excite her. Finally, Annali broke the hot kiss as they both breathed heavily, resting her forehead on his as she hugged him close to her, her eyes meeting his and filled with a desire unbeknownst to Max, "I think we *huff* should go _home,"_ she told him.

"I'd like to *huff* but we didn't get a chance to eat-" before he could finish Annali cut him off with another passionate kiss.

*SMACK* she separated.

"NOW!" she demanded. Who was he to object?

"W-Well if you say so then-" she kissed him again as she stood up and pulled him with her.

"Hurry up *huff* *pant* I don't think I can take it at this point," she told him under labored breath as she pulled him away from the bench and towards the exit from the park. Max had begun to notice her breathing was erratic and that there was something off about her; her sudden change in mood made her very demanding and if he was correct, somewhat lustful in her body language.

"Wait, take what? Is there something wrong, are you in pain?" Max asked. His question suddenly made Annali stop in her tracks; he could feel her right-hand clutch his shirt tightly before she turned around and clutched his jacket with her other hand. She pulled him down to her level.

Speaking in the most enticing and lustful voice he had ever heard a woman of her being, "You could say that… my body pains-" she brought him closer and whispered in his ear, "-for _**you**_ ," in an instant Max is pushed over the bushes and careening onto the ground.

"OOFF, hey what are you… doing?" he trailed off as Annali jumped over the bushes and stood over him, giving him an even better vantage point to her inner thighs and what was in between. Annali slowly lowered herself down, her ass sitting comfortably above his crotch and her hands firmly planted on his chest, keeping him from getting up. Max was very confused as to what she was about to do but had a very good idea as to the possibilities. One look through Annali's eyes confirmed only one thing; her eyes held a definitive shine and her pupils were contracted to a thin slit, something he knew the exact definition to. Something Dr. Tullvus warned him about. Something she always did whenever they-

"Oooh fuck," Max mumbled as Annali's thighs began to move her body around over his crotch, massaging his limp manhood. Enticing it. Teasing it. Riding it.

"Mmmhnnnn," she licked her lips in anticipation, her teeth shining in the shadow. Her predatorial nature intimidating Max, allowing her to execute her to do whatever she wanted. Her hands slowly massaged his chest, feeling his pecs from the under the shirt then grabbing both sides and ripping it apart from its button with bestial strength. Max was very afraid she was going to eat his insides but couldn't make a move. Annali was the Apex predator in this situation and she could do whatever she wanted to her prey.

Him.

Her hands then met his skin and she smiled; her hands sought for every inch of his masculine figure and demanded her conscience for more, " _I want… more…"_ she whispered in her Turian tongue, reaching for the belt that held his pants together, unbuckling it and throwing it away, giving her access to her objective. Max was very opposed to the idea of doing it now with her at the moment, especially since they were out in public and only hidden by some tall bushes. Annali could feel a stiffness forming under her crotch and knew her plan was working well. Her undergarments were getting wetter by the minute each time her crotch rubbed over his, moistening the area between them.

"Ugh... that's ver- mmph" Annali placed a hand over his mouth, silencing him. Taking one glance over her shoulder she perked her head up as she stood over Max for a second, scanning the area for nearby pedestrians before turning back to him.

" _We're going to have a lot of fun tonight,"_ she whispered in Turian, her hands reaching down to the split in her dress. Parting the skirt, she pulled it back to reveal her lower half to him. Annali's fingers fiddled with her undergarment, twisting the thin fabric from its waist and slowly pulling it down. Max stared up at her as little by little her undergarment traveled down until it was between her knees and waist, her sex in clear view. This made Max's manhood hard and ache almost painfully as it tried to get past the layered fabric that was his pants. Annali noticed the bulge in his pants and wasted no time moving to discard her undergarment. Being careful to avoid her spurs, she quietly and smoothly removed and discarded the piece of clothing.

"Annie, we can't really do this here… we're literally in PUBLIC!" Max tried to get his point across but instead, his comment flew right over her head. He needed to take control of the situation in order to avoid both of them getting caught for public indecency.

Annali sat back down on his pelvis and bent down, lowering her head down to his, the last thing he had expected from her was to bear her sharp teeth. His wide eyes stared down the serrated opening that was her mouth, praying to god she wasn't already going to eat him because they missed their dinner. Hopefully, his eyes wouldn't go first.

Suddenly, he heard her laugh almost devilishly as if she was just trying to strike fear in him. Which she did a really good at doing, "Don't worry Max, this will benefit us both. I promise," she licked her lips as she planted another hard kiss, distracting his mind as her hands smoothly unbuttoned and unzipped his pants. With one layer of restraint gone the only thing keeping his manhood from freedom was his underwear. Max felt a ticklish sensation down on his lower half and he only managed to get a peek at her hand as it slipped under the black band, her fingers treading carefully as they wrapped themselves around his hardwood causing his hips to shift slightly in response. With a single move, his manhood had been exposed to the cold air causing him to shiver in discomfort. Annali noticed his reaction and smiled, "A little cold never hurt anyone, Maximillian. I'll find you a _warm_ place to put it," Annali stated lustfully, a hand reaching down to cover his mouth. This wasn't the Annali Max knew a few minutes ago, her own rationality had left the building for dinner leaving Max starving and at the mercy of Annali's own pleasure.

Lining up for the final run, Max watched as his manhood prodded Annali's own sex, giving a warm feeling in the only sensitive spot that could feel everything. Annali cooed pleasurably as she but her own tongue unconsciously. Max didn't dare move at this point, his life was possibly on the line if he resisted so instead he just let it happen. In one swift move, Max felt half of his member enveloped in a satisfying warmth as Annali's sex was split by his manhood, firmly wrapping itself around the human girth.

"Hhhhooly shit… -ah, oh, that hits the spot -Mmmnnn," she cooed in delight, her head arching back. It had been way too long since their last act and Max's continuous evasions where driving her crazy. This was her one chance to relieve herself of her pent up desires and let them run wild. She knew she wouldn't have control over her desires once her mind was made. Hopefully, she wouldn't hurt Max too much; he survived their first time with only a few scars to the back and a bite on his shoulder but tonight she was looking to get even wilder. Looking down at Max, she saw how eager he was to get in on the action once she made the first move and drove her lust even further. She began bouncing on his manhood slowly as she wanted to get used to him first but something felt odd when drove herself down; she couldn't feel his pelvis meeting her base with each time she lowered herself down. Her sex even felt stretched to its max which was normal with each other since female Turian's vaginas were a little smaller compared to their Human counterparts, and she managed to take in all of Max's girth. And yet, she couldn't help but feel she was missing a whole more. Taking a look down at his manhood she was astonished to see his hardwood was much bigger than she had anticipated; it was much thicker than she had remembered it to be and it was even longer than she thought it was originally, now she only took in practically half of his length and it seemed as though her sex wouldn't allow any more to enter, "What the fuck? Since when were you this big? Is this why you were avoiding me, you were afraid you would hurt me?" she asked. Max looked up at her and shrugged.

"Mmm, mhmm," he nodded.

This only made Annali angry, he was afraid his dick was too big for own body, she didn't like it when people kept a challenge from her. She would always defy them, "You sneaky little bastard, you think I can't take it?" she almost snarled as her ass rose up to the point where his tip only stayed in. Max looked down wide-eyed, his head shaking in disapproval, trying to get her to reconsider her decision but it was too late as she brought her ass down. It was the most erotic thing he had ever seen as he saw nearly his whole dick swallowed up by her snatch. A noticeable bulge formed in her belly as her sex was spread to its limits sending mixed pain and pleasure signals to her brain, "MMMFUCK!" she chirped, barely able to keep herself from screaming. Max quickly grabbed her shoulders and pulled her down, covering her mouth as her eyes clenched shut and she screamed in his hand. Max wasn't sure if he had hurt seriously as all he could feel was an eternal warmth firmly and tightly gripping his dick. There were was no literal way to describe the pleasure, whenever he had sex with Annali it was usually tight fit until her sex began to get used to his size, eventually allowing him to enter her smoothly and softly. But now she had impaled herself onto an entirely different size, a much bigger one than the one she was able to handle by the looks of it.

"Annali, are you okay?" he asked quietly. He heard no response from her mouth as she only breathed heavily into it, possibly trying to manage her own pain if he guessed right. Before he could ask again he felt her move her ass up and down slowly, massaging his manhood and eliciting a moan from his hand. Annali was okay and she wasn't stopping; her movements began to gradually speed up, her walls tightly coiled around his girth and sucking his dick tightly, pulling him deeper inside her with its firm grip. The feeling threw Max's head back, his mind overwhelmed in pleasure, easing his limbs into submission as her vagina pulled his cock deeper with each thrust she made.

"-Ahn, oh, yes -Nnff. AH," she moaned, his dick was hitting her places she had never felt before, the extra length managed to reach her innermost sanctum, lightly kissing the end of her passage. Whatever the reason was he managed to get this upgrade she didn't care. Her mind only cared that it was in and she was going to take it whole. The built up juices began to secrete from their conjoined sexes but were driven back into her as Max's length pumped it back deeper into her. Max could feel her walls spasming as she tightened her core.

Drunk in her own lust, Annali sped up her movements as she wanted her reward, the only thing that would cure her of her own lust-filled mind. Her labia, stretched beyond its own capacity, slapped Max's pelvis as her sex managed to squeeze in the last inch of his cock, filling her all the way to her inner core, "MMnnnnGHA!" she chirped at this new feeling. Max's hands reached over and gripped her ass cheeks, helping her drive it down to his base even harder and faster. The feeling was starting to become too much for Annali, her breath became heavily labored and she starting choking with each wet thrust he made upwards. It was starting to drive her insane. Her sharp talons began to dig deep in Max's coat, threatening to rip it apart as her sex began to twitch around Max's cock, signaling her end was nigh, "Ngah, *huff* Max -mmf, I don't think I can take it anymore…. I'm getting -MMm- close… it's…." the end was right there, pleasure had overcome her as she bit down hard on Max's shoulders. Max grunted in return as he was nearing his own end.

"Oh, shit," Max's eyes fluttered as he jammed himself hard into her, causing Annali to gasp loudly as they both fell over the edge, "MMMNNNAAH!" he grunted as he released all he could into her. Her hot, tight sanctum became flooded in white, his cock pulsating rapidly and pumping more of his seed into her, and with each thrust stuffing her core continuously. Soon, it began to run down the length and out her sex, no longer able to keep copious amount anymore. The excess began leaking out, forming a white ring around their sexes, each thrust making more of a mess around their base.

"Oooooh, *huff* *huff* ~haaaaa *huff* that was- EEP!" before she could fully recover, she felt herself being spread apart again with each thrust, her hypersensitive sex slamming her exhausted nervous system with pleasure as Max drove himself up into her again, "Shit, MAX, calm down, I-I can't… -oh" she moaned. Her clit was incredibly tired at this point and her mind was signaling for her to stop it. But she couldn't. In no time flat, she had returned to her bestial mindset as she viciously grinded on his cock, feeling his thick length grip her insides as it slowly slid in and out, "RRRGHHH, you thought I couldn't take it did you?" she snarled, keeping his back to the ground, "There's no room for breaks now," she warned him.

Max, still reeling from his post-climax, looked up to her and gave her a serious grin, "I agree," with sheer force and muscle he overpowered Annali; thrusting deep inside her and hugging her close to her body.

"What the hell…. Are you doing?" she asked, noticing he was standing up with his girth still wedged inside of her.

"Going home," he told her simply as he wrapped an arm around the back of her waist and carefully lifted her up as he stepped through the bushes. Annali was beyond confused as she had no intention of walking out without her undergarments.

"Are you seriously walking us out of here with us like this?" she hugged him closer, wrapping her legs around him.

"If we stayed there any longer we would've surely gotten caught. I'm taking a more obscure extraction from this place," Max explained, keeping a wary eye out for nearby people. Luckily, there wasn't anyone nearby at all and it was by pure luck no one heard them. Annali tried to break free from his bear hug but her mind was still in a drunk-like state which made her very dizzy with each sudden movement Max made.

Exiting the park, Max made way for the parking lot that housed AI controlled Sky-car's. As he made his down to the lot, he saw many people looking at them curiously and with confused faces, "What's wrong with her?" a Salarian asked.

"Too much at the bar, I'm taking her home cause no one wants a drunk Turian walking about," Max quickly told.

"Well that's one less drunkie off the streets," the Salarian commented.

"Whoz you callin' drunk, boy? I can slap those giant-ass marbles of your face with a flick-a-da-wrizt," Annali stated with a tired and disillusioned tone.

Max's eyes darted everywhere for a sign that gave the location for the parking lot but Annali kept grinding herself on his still embedded wood, distracting him and causing his knees to shake as it was still sensitive, " _Fuckin hell, why did I leave it there?"_ he growled in his head. It was getting any better since each step he took it shifted his hips and, somehow, Annali was able to sync her movements with his, weakening his endurance, "You're really enjoying this, aren't you?" Max asked.

Annali emerged from his shoulders and looked at him, planting a messy kiss on him, "Mhmm," she confirmed.

It was hard to not be on edge when a Human was carrying a Turian while making out to them down a flight of stairs surrounded by people coming up and down the path. The embarrassment made his ears hot, there wasn't much he could but just play it off.

As he made it to the bottom of the staircase he found the entrance to the car lot… an empty lot, "God damn, are you serious? Fuck, I should've taken the same route back to the restaurant," Max told himself. He knew it would've been smart to go to the nearest lot which was right next to the restaurant but he didn't want to experience the embarrassment of having to walk by the place they just downsized. But perhaps it would have been the best option since they were literally inseparable thanks to his wishful thinking in leaving the place conjoined.

Looking around the lot, he saw a Sky-car flying in to park, "Yes!" he said. Making his way over to the spot where they parked, he hid behind a support pillar, peeking over slightly, he saw a Turian step out and walk off, leaving the car by itself and with no one else nearby to claim it, " _Now's my chance,"_ he told himself, darting out from behind the pillar and running as fast as possible with Annali in his arms.

"Hey, what's the rush?" she asked deliriously.

"Nothing, I found a car now let's- what are you-?" Just as he gets to the car Annali unwraps her legs from behind him, stands and hurls him onto the car's windshield, his hardwood still out in the open, "Annali would you get a hold of yourself? I just did it with you in the park now in the- Mmmff," Annali shuts him up with a kiss and gets back onto his wood, once again enveloping his rod within her tight embrace. Max was already convinced something went off in her mind, she was usually always conservative and cautious of her actions, never allowing herself to lose so much control of herself, however, in this scenario her mindset had taken a vacation and hadn't given a hint presence of its presence. But was Max going to do now? The intense pleasure had already begun corrupting his own rational thought, his hips subconsciously humping up at Annali to gain the most of the situation. Still, there was a small hint of rationality in his mind and he kept a mindful eye around them. Surely, someone must've seen the car enter and he only estimated a few seconds, or at the very least, a minute. Annali only kept bouncing on him, her feral side starting to show as her talons dug deep into his coat, barely even shielding his skin of the sharp points. Annali had taken care of her own nails before she had arrived at the restaurant but never decided to dull it down, for his sake. Her throat growled as the pleasure began building up again, her eyes closed and nostrils twitching as she quickened her pace again, this time, grinding herself on him viciously and aggressively.

"RRRRGGHH, HHNNNGRRRAAAAHHH *snort*" she gritted her teeth as her own brain began to overflow with dopamine.

Max's own manhood began to twitch rapidly, a burning sensation arose from the bottom as it reached its peak, "Hoooo crap… *grunt*" his eyes went cross-eyed as he released what he could into his Turian lover, Annali also simultaneously losing herself as she grunted loudly in response to her own muscles contracting as she gripped Max's coat tightly, pushing down on him, her head arching back as her vocals echoed throughout the lot.

"FFFFOOOOOHHH, Ngaahh!" she moaned loudly.

This was enough to snap him out of his own dimension, quickly getting up but almost falling on top of Annali as his knees buckled weakly; his body was still recovering from its second 'release' and he could only sit down on the hull until he worked the strength to pick up the dizzy Annali still caught in her own euphoria as her head rested on his shoulder. Max cupped his arm under her plump ass cheeks, allowing his free arm to access the station pad and unlocking the door. Max quickly stepped in and sat himself down, Annali still resting on his lap. He couldn't put on the seatbelt as her body was still holding his meat hostage in its dark chasm.

Dishing the problem out of the way he accessed the pad to which it responded with a holographic dashboard appearing before him, **"Please enter destination if selecting autopilot!"** the VI stated.

"Umm, crap-"

" **I'm sorry "CRAP" is not listed in our database. Please try again!"** the VI stated.

"No that's not- whatever, Go to _C.E.N. Central Tower_ as fast as possible," Max stated in response.

" **C.E.N. Central Tower found! Now preparing destination!"** the VI stated. The engine began to hum silently immediately after its response, a small airwave shooting out from beneath the car as it began to levitate up, **"Now preparing fastest route!"** it announced.

"Make it quick please!" Max said under gritted teeth, already Annali was grinding him again, "Jesus don't Turian vagina's ever get over-sensitive?" Max asked, his manhood was almost done for, while Annali simply recovered from her previous climax like it was just a warmup exercise.

"HAH, we never get tired *pant* of this *huff* ever -oh yes… I'm just getting started," Annali stated under labored breath. The seat began to creak again with every sudden movement she made on him, with every second her movements became much more aggressive as before, her feral mind returning again to take control. Max was at the end of his rope here and if he didn't stop her from fucking him then he just might pass out; his manhood was begging for him to make it stop but he couldn't just throw her off, that would be a grave mistake.

The car took off quickly, the sudden acceleration pushing Annali all over Max, "Ohffff," Max grunted as her weight fell on him, her armored chest pressing hard into him. To Annali, his face was the squishiest thing in the universe and she hugged him in pure bliss as his manhood rubbed her inner walls.

"Mmmmmyyyeeessss, thaaat'sss it… just like that, sweetie," she cooed delightfully, her legs shaking as it sent her senses into a frenzy. Her senses were screaming for her to move faster, to try harder, and she replied in desperation to try and satisfy her rich love for him. Or rather, she tried to simultaneously satisfy her love for him AND her body's request for pleasure. Regardless of her true intention, she only wanted to make sure she got to show him what she had been hiding from him all this time.

Knowing she wasn't going to get out of the way anytime soon, he decided to go along with it as his hyper-sensitivity had subsided and his hunger for lust had returned. However, he couldn't see anywhere else since his face was buried into her chest which started to feel like he was being pressed against a grate with her chest having its own natural external armor of its own but by no means could stop a bullet at all. It was her chest collar that stood in the way of his face being buried into her neck. Despite the slight discomfort, he could smell her scent very well; she had used his favorite human shampoo on herself just to catch his attention. Annali could feel his breath as he exhaled quickly in order to inhale more of her scent. In a way, it really turned her on and it made her smile knowing her plan worked, "What are sniffing about, now? You like the smell?" she asks, lowering herself a little just so he could smother himself in her neck, and just like she had predicted, he began planting kisses up along her neck, all the while taking in more of her strong scent, driving his mind crazy with just how soft her skin was along her neck. Out of all other parts of her body, her neck was the warmest and most sensitive of all. Annali shivered at the soft and gentle touches he gave, the feeling of his lips just grazing her skin sent chills down her spine and branching out throughout her legs, "Wooooaahh, that's a… new feeling…" her eyes felt droopy again and she struggled to maintain herself again as the end was nigh… again.

"What now?" Max asked.

"Grrgh- shut up… *snort*" she exhaled briefly, her hands on his shoulders gripped him tightly and this time her talons were REALLY starting to cut through his clothing and he could feel their sharpness. The pattern was familiar and Max knew what it was.

"Oh come on, I just started-" all of a sudden Annali's hands transferred from his shoulders to his head, forcing him to look up at her.

"And I'M DONE- MMHFF," her eyes clenched tightly as her base kissed his own, causing her back to arch. Annali wasn't aware of it but her own pleasure had caused her to push Max's head back over the seat.

Max desperately tried to get back in the game but the sudden tightness around his wood restrained him for the moment before he could overpower her. Before he could make his move, he shifted his hips slightly but in his ignorance he forgot how low the ceiling was, so as he moved his hips it raised Annali up into the ceiling, accidentally smacking her head against the ceiling.

*BONK*

"AH!" she yipped, the pain snapping her out of her own dimension. Annali stared down at the Max who was just about to get ready who, in turn, stared back in horror. Annali growled annoyingly as the sudden pain broken the setting, "You just ruined the fucking moment…" she whispered coldly, sending a sharp chill up his spine. With bestial strength, she grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, picked him up, and threw to the side in between the seats.

"Uh, s-sorry… heh," Max tried to smile but it had no significant effect on her consciousness.

" _Sorry is not going to cut it,"_ she spoke in Turian. Parting the bottom half of her dress she bent down over his crotch and lined him up once more. She wasn't finished and she was pissed, _"You're not leaving anytime soon, love,"_ she bent down to his face, licking his cheek and getting a taste of his skin, _"Not bad… for a human. If you want to live through this with your throat still in your neck then you WON'T fuss. Got it?!"_ she asked him almost kindly. Max nodded without hesitation, making her smile, " _Good, RAAHH!"_ her jaw opened and her mandibles parted allowing her to use her mouth fully as she bore her teeth and locked it around Max's throat, almost like a wolf would to its prey. And he was no longer the apex predator. Immediately after she did that her hips slammed down over his hardwood, taking him all the way and causing her jaw to tighten around his throat, "*grunt*" she grunted. Her ass lifted up and slammed back down quickly, speeding up to her own satisfaction, her nose exhaling strongly onto him as she tried to build her climax back up again.

Max didn't dare move as all he could do was let her do with him as she pleased. Tullvus had never mentioned the 'extended' part of Turian Sex Ed. involving a female dominating a male in such a feral way to the point they could actually KILL them. If this was the case then Max had no choice but to say his prayers. What was the point of that if Annali couldn't even let him think straight each time she plunged him into her, not even letting him take a break? Max could barely see her out of the corner of his left eye and what was very intimidating was the fact that she was staring right back; her eyes were dilated to a slit and her mouth had reached an angle he hadn't seen her do with him before. Not that she did. It was perfectly positioned around his throat, giving her a good vantage point from which she could definitely tear it out. Though, he did have his speculations over how sharp her teeth where but he preferred to live thinking she could rather than die thinking she couldn't.

Annali's mind was locked in a feral state, threatening to kill her partner if he didn't submit to her wishes and allowed her to do as she pleased. However, she couldn't bring herself to actually kill him as her primal instincts screamed at her to finish up. Her own discipline kept her from committing such an act and she only kept the rouse that she would kill him, hoping it would buy her enough time to get her final prize.

Unbeknownst to her, the car had begun to enter the Parking Lot to the skyscraper. Max finally opened eyes after a while of getting his dick fucked to see they were under a roof. Max slowly grasped both seats on either side of him and quickly grabbed both of Annali's wrists, crisscrossing them and then hugging her closely to his body, effectively trapping her arms in between them. Annali finally dislodged her incredible jaw and tried to escape Max's strong hold on her, "ARGH! What are you doing? LET GO!" she struggled but was then silenced as Max pushed her body down on him, plunging himself to the base and catching Annali off guard, "OOOoohhh~ that's the s-s-spot," she shivered at the feeling.

The car began to land in a random parking spot, luckily, it was close to the elevator, giving Max an opportunity to get them both to it and make it safely and maybe discreetly to the apartment. They were almost at Home Base.

As the car landed, Max then shifted his legs under him, waiting for the cockpit doors to open up. Just then, Max could feel Annali shift her hips again, making his legs feel like wet noodles, he had forgotten he was still wedged in her sex and just when he was starting to feel something coming. Instinctively, he began humping in sync with her own movements, moving toward her as she came down him. With each thrust came a small wet squeak as they moved slowly in tandem with each other. Annali's head arched back as she moaned in pleasure, her vocals quakey. Her legs twitched as the pleasure only began to mount up more and more to the point her ferality began to take over again, enticing her to move faster. Her sudden speed brought Max to his knees as the sudden change in pace made her tight sex pull on his meat even harder, fully lodging him deep in her sex. The sheer tightness of Annali's sex was like nothing he had ever experienced, there was no way a Human woman could ever match her own tightness, it was almost unbearable to keep feeling and hearing that squelching sound of his dick smashing into her sex.

"~Oh yes, mmmmmMMMAAHH, Faster, please!" she pleaded. Max no longer held tight and loosened his grip around her, allowing her arms to wrap around his neck and pull him in for a hot kiss, "Come here ~Mmmmm," she locked lips with him. Max could feel her tongue work her way into his, feeling around and finding his, inviting him to play. Her thin pointed tongue entwined itself with his own pink squishy one, it was as if she was strangling a marshmallow but the marshmallow could somehow grab her and pull her in and each time her skinniness would allow her to slip out. Max could feel her head forcefully pushing her closer to him; she really wanted to feel him everywhere and the sensation of the kiss brought them even closer to the end. Very close. Annali began to breathe much harder through her nose as she couldn't allow herself to separate her lips from his puffy ones. She could feel herself tightening up again around his thick cock, the feeling of her sex unable to get any tighter around him caused her to finally gasp for air, "*GASP* ~OH SHIT, I can't take it anymore, Max *huff* you have to go off already!" she wanted him to release his essence in her already, at this point her body wanted nothing more but something in her and the only thing that was in her was one thing instead of the two she needed desperately.

Max knew what she meant by 'going off' in her so he grasped her hip tightly and helped her move down faster and harder on his cock. His mind was being clouded with dopamine and he began to hallucinate what he thought was his very dick moving in and out of her sex, his tip just barely able to prod her ' _Golden Gate.'_ The thought of seeing himself penetrate her internally only fueled his hunger to release himself in her, wanting nothing more but to paint her insides white with his seed. Their foreheads meet in a final sign that they had truly and finally pledged themselves to each other; after their many battles fighting side by side, their close comradery, and their deep understanding and connection to each other, they had finally found the love they had been searching for since childhood. Despite their dark backgrounds, their negativity towards each other had spawned something positive and beautiful.

"I love you…" she whispered, her mind starting to go blank, feeling his girth twitch.

'Mmmm… I-I…"

 ***YOU HAVE ARRIVED AT YOUR DESTINATION!* [COCKBLOCKED]**

Just then, the doors opened.

" _Oh come OON!"_ Max acted with lightning quick reflexes as he willfully shot down his urge to release as he stood up with his dick still embedded in Annali. Annali wasn't so fortunate to realize what had just happened as she reached her end and climaxed on Max, a small string of her fluid drooling out as she went off on him. Max was very much aware she went off on him but at the moment he needed to get them out of there immediately. Thankfully, there weren't many people around as it was already getting late. He couldn't see his watch since he was hugging Annali, so he decided to get out of the area as soon as possible. Stepping out of the car he walked off the platform onto the sidewalk leading to the small flight of stairs leading up to the elevator. As he began walking up the stairs, he found it hard to make an advancement with the added weight of Annali. His knees were incredibly tired after his ordeal and he just needed to end the night in bed, but not before he finishes what Annali started. Once at the elevator, Max quickly pressed the button, stabbing it with his finger rapidly before slamming the button until the door made a *Ding* sound. The doors open to reveal the emptiness inside which Max quickly boards and punches the floor number.

 ***Level 58: Going up!*** the speaker stated as it sent the elevator flying towards its destination.

Max gave a sigh of relief that they had made it without raising any suspicion but his moment was cut off as Annali immediately dislodged him from her sex and pushed him against the wall, lifting her right leg and resting her foot on the bar, "*huff* you didn't give me what I wanted, Max," she told him almost as if betrayed.

"We needed to get out of there or else someone was- Mmf," she covered his mouth with a hand and used her other to line his cock with her sex.

"Just finish up and give me what I want already, you're not making this any easier for yourself you know?" she told him as she brought herself down on his cock, gradually taking him inch by inch until he was all the way in once more, his dick now reintroduced with the warmth of her sex. A small squirt of pre spilled out from his tip, lightly coating her walls with him as he began to thrust into her, her tight sex pulling on him hard with each time he pulled out and quickly letting him back in as he thrust back. Max and Annali were drunk with lust at this point and they wanted nothing more than to just fuck like crazy, Annali had waited too long to get his essence and now it was all she could think about. She didn't know why she wanted it so badly but it didn't matter so long as she has satisfied her sudden hunger for lust. It was just another one of those sudden urges she got every now and then every year. It even happened while on the Trianis and Max was lucky he was elsewhere at the moment as he might've gotten hurt since he had no idea who he was dealing with, and it wasn't her conscience that was going to convince him to have sex, "~Ah, oh yes… right…. there, yes! Faster," she asked him under labored breath as she drove her hips down on Max's, loud squelching sounds reverberating off the walls with each thrust. Max's cock began to pulsate rapidly and he could feel his balls aching for release already as they had been teased enough for the past hour, and with the fact, her vagina kept massaging him at nearly every angle and with the sheer tightness milking him desperately for his seed only drove him mad. He needed a different vantage point so he grabbed Annali by the arms and switched places with her. Annali only assumed he was just going to lift her leg up to see what he was doing but instead he took by surprise and lifted both legs up and by her surprise she hadn't realized her amazing flexibility as he threw her legs almost against the wall, letting him pummel her sex and allowing him to dig even deeper than she would have thought possible, "AAHH, Spirits *pant* that's… new, MMF," she clenched her teeth in sheer pleasure. She could see everything that was going on down there; she could see his thick girth sliding out only to slide right back in with minimal resistance anymore, and with each thrust, she could see her belly bulge each time he went back in. It was almost alien to see such a sight but in her mind, it was the most erotic thing she had ever seen in her life. And she loved it, "FUCK, can't you go any faster… or at least ~Ah, harder? Ngh!" she asked selfishly.

Max quickly complied with her requests and sped up his pace, adding more force to his thrusts and pounded her ass to the wall, the sounds of their wet sexes slapping into each other got louder and so too did Annali as her chest heaved up and down to try and get oxygen to her brain before she could pass out from his dick literally reforming her vagina to fit him. She couldn't take it anymore.

"I… can't…" Annali stuttered in her vocabulary as her climax had come.

Max sensed her stamina was nearly depleted and he agreed to let go as well, "Don't worry… I got… nnff- you," Max grunted as every muscle in his body tightened in response as he finally let out everything he had into his Turian lover. Max's cock spasmed and released ropes of seed with each heartbeat, quickly coating her insides and spilling into the chasm that was her womb, painting its walls with a new layer of color. Her vaginal walls contracted and flexed with each twitch his cock made, sending torrents of his seed into her awaiting chasm. Her tightness kept his seed from spilling around his cock which only caused a build up and forcing his seed to spill into her womb since it had nowhere else to go. Max held her hips close to his in order to prevent everything he had shot out from spilling. Annali was in pure bliss as she finally got what she wanted. After so many months of waiting she had finally convinced him. Bringing a hand around Max's delirious head, she brought him in close into a passionate kiss, savoring his taste. She had truly found her soul mate; so many years in the dark, mourning her mother's death and blaming humans only to fall in deep love with one. Max had pulled her out of a deep and dark place, the least she could do was repay him with her everlasting love.

*Ding*

The doors open to reveal Max pinning Annali's legs to the wall, still entrenched in her sex. Max lazily took a small peek outside the door to see an empty hallway, and at one of the doors was Annali's apartment door. Home Base.

Annali's chest was still heaving in exhaustion, her breath labored and heavy. Eventually, her senses gradually came around and she was suddenly aware of her surroundings. Her legs were still pinned against the walls and she saw his cock was still deeply wedged in her sex, however, it wasn't going flaccid as she had expected, instead it remained hard and pulsated every now and then, confusing Annali, "Max *huff* aren't you done?" she asked curiously. Max turned back to her and allowed her legs to fall back to the ground gently, letting her stand up slightly as her legs felt weak.

"I don't know, I feel like I am but I still have the feeling to keep going," Max told her. Annali simply smiled and leaned up to kiss him again, looking him directly in the eyes, her own full of love and passion.

"Then we'll get that feeling right out *pant*" she shifted her hips closer to his as she enticed his cock for release. This got Max back in the game again as he hugged her close and made a loving thrust into her again, "~Ooohh, Spirits that's good… care to make a woman feel good again?" Annali asked lustfully.

Max responded by picking her up and thrusting into her right in the hallway, locking lips her own as he walked in the direction to Home Base, "Over and over again, I would go for as long as you," he responded and the two began to embrace each other once more in a final act for the night.

The two stumbled into the Apartment, passionately making out as Annali helped remove Max's clothes as Max quickly stripped her down to nothing since the dress was an entire piece and all he did was loosen the straps, parting the shoulder strings away and letting the dress fall off Annali to reveal her full nudity. Annali felt the cold touch her warm back and she desperately wanted Max's warmth, speeding up the process in which she just ripped his shirt off and rubbing her hands all over his masculine chest. Max had already ditched his shoes and all he needed was to get rid of the saggy pants that he had been carrying since they were at the park. Kicking off the last bit of clothing, Max and Annali were now able to fully experience each other's warmth. Annali wasted no time in lying on her back on the table, spreading her legs for Max as he dove into her sex, spreading her folds to its original Max and pushing his recent load back deeper into her chasm. Max kissed her stomach, working his way up to her chest and pecking her neck, all the while pumping himself into her. Annali wrapped her arms around his neck, bringing him in for another kiss as he pounded her over-sensitive sex nonstop.

"~Mmmaahhhh… _Takish'kov nor' araya'masen…~Ah, Karen'troperese…"_ she spoke in Turian, although, Max couldn't quite catch the meaning of it.

Regardless of what she meant, she continued to speak in her native tongue, Max no longer able to define their meaning as he pounded harder into her vagina, the loud squelching sounds and Annali's moans further fueled his lust driven body to persuade her body to reach its own end.

Annali couldn't help but wrap her legs around his back and pull him in to fuck her harder, to make her reach her end. Her walls tightened at the thought of more of his seed coming to coat her insides. With each thrust, her belly bulged to accommodate the incredible girth being thrust inside her, each time, his tip lightly kissed her _Golden Gate_ , its entrance openly willing his rod to release its load into it.

Max then flipped Annali over so he could take her from behind and it only brought more pleasure as his cock twisted around in her vagina, pulling her walls one way as she rotated. The sudden movement, elicited a sudden squeal from Annali, "~Aaayyaah," she arched her head as she allowed Max to take her from behind, his strong thrusts pounding and shaking her cheeks with relentless force. This was starting to become too much for Annali as she wanted him to release inside her somewhere more comfortable, "L-let's… head to bed…. I think we'll like it there much more," Annali suggested. Max was in agreement as he didn't want the floor there to be messy after he was done. Wrapping an arm under her belly, he lifted her off the table and carried her down to the warm bedroom. His clothes were littered everywhere as he had been looking for his formal clothes the entire hour he was getting ready, "So you were busy then," she chuckled. Max smiled and threw her on the bed, "Feeling dominant now are we? *giggle* very well, then," she then laid down on her stomach and perked her ass up to show the small gaping hole he had drilled into her, "I'm all yours," she purred. Max slowly crawled over, his rod prodding her gape and entering slowly as he added some force. Annali arched her head back to meet his own staring back down to deliver a reversed kiss, "Come on… one last time…" she whispered. Max then gradually slipped back in, stretching her folds and proceeding to fuck her harder and faster than before. Annali supported herself on her elbows as Max pounded her vagina with every ounce of strength he had, his cock splitting her flesh beyond its limits and prodding her chasm, his balls were the only thing keeping him from pummeling through the last entrance but Annali was just so incredibly tight, he couldn't even move any deeper. Snorting through his nose, he grunted heavily, trying to keep his composure under the heavy strain she was putting him under; he could barely contain his own ambitions, and this is what pushed him past the breaking point. He pushed Annali down against the bed rather hard but she didn't seem to mind at all as his actions made her feel submissive, she liked a man who wasn't afraid to act on their instincts, and Max was making sure he was in full control. Gripping her arms tightly and holding her down, Max held her in place, ramming himself harder, the pleasure was starting to become unbearable. It was almost intolerable.

"OHFF! NNGRRHH, Christ almighty, I…" Max trembled, he could feel his last deposit working its way up his shaft, causing him to collapse on top of Annali, his chest resting on her back, "Annali… I… c-can't…" he whispered into her ear hole.

A hand went and caressed his cheek, bringing his right cheek in contact with her, Annali trembled as well, knowing her end was nigh, "I knnnn-now, I feel you too… ~AaaAhaahh, I can't w-wait any… m-mmorr-…" she hugged his face against hers as her climax swept over her, Max's was not too far away.

With one final thrust, Max buried himself as deep as possible, shooting his last gift into her chasm, building up the more and more the longer he released. The abundance of his seed began to overflow and eventually managed to escape out from their conjoined sexes, a puffy white ring began to form and spill out of her sex as Annali's body was no longer able to contain the copious amount of semen her lover had given her. After a solid minute of an intense embrace, Max's wood finally began to pump the last few ropes until finally relaxing to a pulse every now and then but by no means was it becoming flaccid anytime soon as the euphoria of their post-orgasm continued to linger in the air and fueled his stiffness. Annali was just starting to come off her high, feeling Max's heavy chest heave on top of her, his bodily warmth helped her nerves relax and slowly manage the natural high still pumping through her veins. Her heart was practically beating out of her chest, pumping blood through her body to get as much oxygen to the body and she was breathing just as hard as Max in order to keep themselves conscious, or rather, until their bodies finally settled down, "*huff* you should probably see a doctor after this *pant* I think I was too much for you," Max suggested.

"*pant* The hell *pant* for? Phew… *huff* just because you took me hard… doesn't mean you actually hurt me…" she turned her head from the pillow she had been clutching in her arms to Max, planting a reassuring kiss on his cheek, "I'm fine Maximillian *kiss* I liked it anyway, you really took charge at the end, finally," she told him.

"Wait, so you really weren't going to kill me back then?" Max asks.

"Oh no, I actually could have, I just needed you to take me in between my 'breaks'," Annali clarifies, making Max's eyes widen in realization. After a moment, Annali bursts into laughter, "PpphhhHHAAHHAHAHAHAHAHA, I'm kidding Max, I was just teasing you so I could get my way… maybe a little more," she shrugged. Max's brows furrowed in irritation, but then his face transforms into a devious smile, realizing his wood was still embedded in her. Making a sharp thrust up, Annali suddenly went silent and all humor had quickly disappeared, "*gulp*" she swallowed audibly, "Uuuh… you're not going to… keep going, are you?" she asks, a bit of nervousness present in her tone.

"You up for more?" Max asks, a bit curious.

"Heheh, I would like to but I don't I can last any longer with you at this rate. I can take you… to an extent… *yawn*" she yawns her body already tired and wanting to finally rest.

Max understood her thoughts and decided to pull out of her, a loud pop sounded as her sex released him after a tight exit, Annali exhaling a sigh of pleasure as his cock massaged her one last time before leaving her tight embrace, a small white bead trailing off from his tip. However, Max's manhood was so big her vagina still kept his original shape, not forgetting the girth that had entered and reshaped her sex, her entrance spread very wide open. Annali could also feel herself still spread from the inside even though Max's warm rod had vacated. She would have to let her sex reorganize itself until she was ready to take him again. Oh, the days she dreamt of after today, she just couldn't wait.

Max carefully bent down and reached for the warm blankets just below their feet, pulling it over them as Annali snuggled under him, loving the squishy warmth on top of her. Max wrapped an arm around her and pulled her closer, despite the difference in body structure and her collar pushing against his chest, it didn't bother him so long as she was comfortable with him which he knew she was; she always loved hugging him, it was like hugging a heated mattress except this one wrapped itself around her. Turning over and falling on their left side, Max rested his head just above hers, Annali moving up under his chin, "Love you, Max," she hugged his arm tightly.

"Love you too, goodnight," he whispered, planting a small kiss on her head.

Finally, their day had ended.

…

But their destiny had only begun…

 **Now before yall start talking shit, let me just say, in my defense, I really should have announced I was going out of the country for the winter. Sorry :l Thus explaining the reason why I couldn't upload the chapter.**

 **Well I wasn't exactly finished with it, per se, but I was very close to it; I just needed to check my grammar and all before I decided to post it. I left the country on the day Winter vacation was given to us at college, letting me finish the chapter once finals were out of the way. As I was packing up I kept reminding myself to take my laptop and to put it in my carry-on but, like the dummy that I am, I forgot and so I spent the next few hours trying to download Word on my phone in a place where internet is dick. I saved the chapter to Google Doc's but since it needed Wi-Fi I couldn't access it either.**

 **Poop :(**

 **In short, I should have announced I was headed beforehand. I guess some of you expected I was going to upload before Christmas or New Years. So did I, Lol. Anyway, I arrived a day before my classes started in the 14** **th** **and I spent the rest of the week getting reacquainted with my friends. It kind of took a lot of time out of the week so of course, I didn't work on the chapter much. I made sure this chapter was of better quality and that I put my best effort into it. Suffice to say, I think I did a good job.**

 **Moving away from my "excuse", I'm going to try and put another good effort on the following chapter as the next will be a bit of a surprise for our heroes and the story as a whole. I hope you enjoyed the smut and had a fantastic Christmas, Hannauka, New Years, or birthday last year.**

 **As always, Have a nice day :)**


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

 **C-Sec Headquarters, Citadel – 12:35 PM, 3** **rd** **of December, 2183.**

2 weeks later…

"Sooooo, what's the story then? Any drama? Any tears, What? Come on, tell me, I promise I won't tell," A female Turian tries to convince Annali to spill the beans.

Annali was trying her best to ignore her friend's persistent attempts at getting her to talk. It was a Monday afternoon and she was still trying to shake off the morning drowsiness after a good wake up. It was all instantly ruined once she stepped into the building and her smile soon turned upside down. Since her arrival a few months ago from the Chasca Mission, Cpt. Caepraka reassigned her to C-Sec Headquarters in order to stay busy as well as the rest of the Trianis Crew was mostly reassigned to a different ship or position either within the Turian Navy or outside serving as Reserve Personnel. The only reason she was at C-Sec was at her own personal request to Caepraka in order to stay as close to Max as possible. She was lucky to convince her to get her this position in HQ but she could've at least discussed with her the details of her new work because sitting at her desk, staring at a monitor with constant stomach aches, which started only 2 days ago, was going to drive her crazy really fast even with the very talkative Juteia.

"You know I'm starting to think you're not listening to my questions," Juteia implies.

Annali covers her face with both hands and breathes in deeply, rubbing down the length of her face and pulling her and pulling the bags under her eyes. She began rubbing her temples before answering, "Don't… you have a job to do, Juteia? I thought you had to run some Parking tickets or something?" she tried to get back to the original topic.

"Oh yeah, *Pssh* totally forgot about that, you know I really do go off track sometimes even when I'm deep in thought I just lead off into different subject-"

"Hey-HEY, Focus, please, I really need to get to work now, I'm really behind all these reports I need to finish authorizing for-"

"Um, is Ms. Veren, here?" a Male Turian Officer poked into their office. Annali quickly turns around to greet the Officer and says, "Yes, that is me. May I help you?" Annali asks, hoping it was important enough to get her out of her work.

"Executor Pallin wants to see you in his office. He wants to talk to you about your request for a different position here," he tells her.

"YES, thank the Spirits- Er- I mean, I'll, uh, head over right now. *Ahem* Excuse me!" she quickly saw herself out of the office as quickly as possible, Juteia and the Officer awkwardly watch her as she left the dual office, noticing her odd pace as she walked.

"Hey, have you been noticing Veren acting a little… quirky, recently?" the Officer asks.

"You eyeing for another date? She already has a boyfriend," Juteia answers him.

"No, I mean the way she been acting, she hasn't been herself the past few days and the last time I tried to talk to her about it she snapped at me, telling me to mind my own business," the Officer tells her.

"You know maybe you should learn to respect a woman's privacy sometime. It'll help you in the long run, *chuckles*" she suggests.

The Officer rolls his eyes in frustration, "She's usually comfortable answering questions and doesn't snap like that. I've seen her scratching her belly a lot and whenever we're on break I see her pacing around the break room by herself. I'm thinking something wrong's with her," the Officer explains.

"And you came to this conclusion by spying on her?"

"What? No, I'm just very observant of people. Besides, I'm a Detective, I'm supposed to be wary of people's characteristics, it's my job," he tells her.

"Yeah, you keep telling yourself that," she turns back to her desk, chuckling.

"I AM a Detective, you know who I am and you know what I can do," he raises his voice, agitated she merely tossed his title aside as if it were nothing.

"You can do everything but not brag about yourself, so yes; I do know what you LIKE to do," she tells him.

"Whatever. I'm telling you, something is up with Veren and I have a feeling it's not very good," the Detective tells her as he walks away, further wondering about Annali's possible condition.

[

"Ugh, these damn stomach aches are driving me crazy, Mmf, I just ate a few minutes ago," Max tried to hide her inconvenience from everyone but the harder she tried the worse it became to hold the pain. She felt the pain starting to rise only 3 days ago and it wasn't until 2 days ago that the pain was starting to make her uncomfortable. She thought it was something she ate but none of the stomach medications helped her manage the pain. It was already going into the fourth day and the pain didn't feel like it was going away any time soon. Annali already talked to Max about it and he talked with Dr. Tullvus Murnus to arrange an appointment with him to see what the problem was. Ironically, it was also the day Max had rescheduled his own appointment with Dr. Gupta to speak with him after he waited 2 weeks to actually talk to him, despite the Doctor's urgent requests Max politely declined them and said his new "job" required him to be there on the job during those dates. Annali was set to meet Tullvus in Huerta Memorial at 1:00 so after her discussion with the Executor she would be well on her way to the Doc, "Hopefully, Tullvus can explain what this means. This pain is starting to become a real bother," she told herself.

The Executor's office wasn't very far from her own office, it only took a minute before she was at his receptionist's desk, "Hello, how may I help you?" the Asari asked.

"Pallin wanted to see me?"

"About?"

"My Formal Request to change my Assignment detail," she clarified.

"Ah, yes, he's just inside," she gestured towards the door.

"Thank you," she nodded as the door opened for her to enter, Pallin just behind his desk, tapping away at his terminal. Annali stepped inside, stopping just after the door closed behind her, "You requested me, Executor?" she states herself.

Her voice seems to snap him out of his own reality and he blinks, looking up from his monitor to meet her eyes, "Ah yes, please, sit," he gestured toward one of the seats in front of his desk as he flipped through some pages, marking some with a pen.

"Um, thank you, Executor Pallin but I think I'll stand for now," she politely declines.

"Why is that?" he looks back up at her.

"Nothing important, sir, I would just… prefer to stand," she explained.

"Well not in my office. Sit," he gestured again. Annali knew he was only going to repeat himself one last time, otherwise, he would outright cancel their meeting right then and there. Annali breathed deeply as she walked around the chair and slowly sat down with a small painful grunt. Palling, however, noticed this and became curious.

"You alright, Veren?" he asked as he stopped writing.

"Yes, I-I'm fine, sir. Did you want to talk about the-"

"Request that you sent me? Yes, I wanted to tell you by messaging you but I thought it best to tell you in person…" Pallin told her.

"And?" Annali asks a little too quickly. She didn't want to look like she wanted to get out of her own job badly so she needed to look as calm as possible. If he saw she wanted him to change her position terribly then he would reject her request without an argument. He was a very By-the-book-guy so his expectations for everyone were very high, even for his fellow Turians.

Pallin looked away from her towards his monitor and simply said, "No," Annali blinked and huffed as if she was hearing a joke.

"I-I'm sorry, what did you say? I didn't quite catch that," she asked, hoping to hear a different answer.

Pallin looked away from his monitor and turned to face her, "I said 'No,'" he voiced himself even clearer.

Annali was taken back by this, surely he was kidding, but then again he was rarely a guy to take a joke, "Um, may ask why?" she asked.

Pallin grunted loudly before speaking, "I am not granting you this request because you are fine where you are right now. I had too many people send me Reassignment Requests from that office and I can't afford to send you to another position someone else already requested of me to transfer them to. The person who hasn't asked me to change out of there is the one person who is still with you now in that dual office. What was her name? Juteia. She never asked to change out of her office, in fact, she loves it there and she's been doing good work for a while now. Why, may I ask, do you want to change out of that office?" he asks her the question she was hoping he wouldn't ask.

She couldn't just tell him her co-worker was being extremely annoying and her questions where driving her crazy, it would mean she would have to stay in there with Juteia all the way until she decided to re-enlist in the Navy or she just quit. And it was NOT going to the be the former or the latter; The Navy would require her to travel far away from Max and just quitting a job isn't something Annali does, if anything, she would rather call in sick. Now that she thought about it, she should've just called in sick in the first place rather than just request a seat change. And now here she was, in front of her Boss who is still waiting for an answer from her as to why she wanted to change.

Her stomach pain began to gnaw at her mind aggressively and she found hard to think straight, so instead she just decided to tell him the truth, regardless, if it meant she couldn't transfer, "*grunt* Sir, I'm sorry, I've been having these Stomach pains for the past 4 days and it's been making me feel very irritated. Juteia just asks a lot of questions and on a normal day I can tolerate her but right now I'm not in good mood, I guess I just overreacted and I just wanted to get out of that office as soon as I could. I'll be going to the doctor soon to get this checked out but right now if you don't want me to move then I understand," she explains herself.

Pallin tilts his head to the side, observing Annali's face for any signs that could make him think otherwise, however, he only saw pain in her eyes, "Well you should've told me that instead of a lame excuse, Veren. If you were in pain then maybe you should've called in sick; I don't usually take kindly to officers in my building calling sick but your friend, Captain Caepraka, heavily vouched for you and it was through her you landed this job. I expected a lot from an Ex-Special Forces soldier like you so why should I keep you here anyway, you ask? Because I thought you would be a more honest person than everyone else. Am I wrong to assume that?" he asks.

Annali knew where he was going with this and it was very understandable why he would ask such a question. She was a highly commended soldier in the military and her reputation preceded her, it made her a very attractive asset in the eyes of many of her superiors. Thinking about the question deeply, she responded, "Well, perhaps you're right to assume that," her response caught Pallin off guard, he was expecting more of a defense but Annali was pleading guilty now.

"I'm… sorry?" he folded his arms, intrigued and slightly shocked at her response.

Annali grunted as she shifted herself, her movements making her stomach feel queasy and tight as if it had pulled a muscle if it even could, "Executor Pallin, I've much experience in the field of battle and not one time has the battlefield fatigued me of my purpose. Why, because I always looked forward to the future, never wanting to look back and remember what I went through to get to where I was. I'm sure you could agree with that, it's how we all stay sane, right? But I have also learned even though we are afraid to acknowledge our pasts we must at least remember our friends of the past that we fought and laughed with. The memories of our comrades are what remind us of our past experiences and eventually we learn to accept their fates and move on but never forget them."

"Well you're not wrong; I have always looked back at the past only to find pain and agony, which is why we always keep an eye forward and remember our comrades for their sacrifice meant we could be here now. We all knew what was going to happen when we entered the military life and we weren't proven wrong. I have had my fair share of fights in the past and the last thing I would want to do now is think about what I could have done differently but the fact remains; If I hadn't done those things then I wouldn't be here. We learn to respect our actions and understand them for every move me made was guided by our ancestors that have come before us. But right now, I think you're starting to question yourself. Is this true?" he asks, raising a brow plate.

"I guess you could say that I'm under a lot of pressure at the moment and this stupid stomach pain is really starting to become a bother. If it's okay with you, I rescind my earlier request for a transfer, I promise I will return tomorrow with a better attitude but for now, I need to go to my Doctor… with your permission, of course," she asked him.

"*sigh* well, I can't stop you from fixing that gut of yours so, yes, Permission Granted, I don't want you throwing up in my building. You may leave, now," he gestures towards the door. Annali nods in understanding, slowly standing back up and saluting before seeing herself out, "Oh, Veren, before you go you need to understand something," he catches her attention. Annali turns to face him as he says, "If your pains come to the point where you can't walk then I prefer you tell me rather than come up with another bullshit excuse. I'll tolerate it for now but any more and you're out, understood?" he asks.

"Understood, sir!" she nods as she walks out. Annali felt her core a little more tense than earlier, she could've sworn it was less but now it was as if she hadn't eaten in days, her stomach began to growl annoyingly and she only masked it with a cough. Max was supposed to be waiting for her outside with a ride so she fully expected him to be there once she got out. As she made her way down to her office, she couldn't help but wonder why her stomach was feeling so irritated. She hypothesized many things but most of them were either unrealistic or impossible; one of them being perhaps when they first had sex a few weeks ago was Max's dick probably hurting her sex without her knowing and she was starting to feel the effects of it now. But it couldn't be it since she would feel it down there and not in her stomach. The thought of his sex reaching her inner organs made her laugh, it was so unrealistic she just couldn't help but laugh at herself for coming to that conclusion, "If he actually hurt me I swear if that was true I would-"

"You would what?" Juteia asks over her shoulder.

"GYAAH! Juteia? What the hell were you doing behind me? Where you following me?" she asks, clutching her belly as the sudden reaction caused her muscles to spasm painfully.

"Yes and no; Yes because I saw you walk past me when I waved and no because… well I just wanted to scare you is all, haha," Juteia laughed, nudging Annali's arm with her elbow, "So how'd the conversation go with Pallin?" she asks.

"Fantastic, I got promoted to Lt. Colonel and I get paid leave for a month," she tells her.

"Whoa, really?"

"No, why do you think I- Mmf," Annali clutched her belly tightly as the pain shot up again, "Agh, listen can you go to my office and pack my stuff, I'm heading out right now to the doctor so when I get back I can just pick it up and leave. Can you do that, please?" she asks.

"Sure, Is everything alright? You don't look like your feeling well," she asks her.

"Yes, no- I mean Yes, everything is fine, just… have everything ready for me to pick up for when I get back. If I don't return before 8:30 PM then can you deliver it to my apartment? Someone will be there to take it," Annali asks her.

"S-Sure, yeah, of course, anything for you, girl. I think I have your address," she searches her pockets for the paper note Annali gave her.

"Good, I'll see you then," Annali thanks her as they approach the main entrance. She straightens her back as she quickly gets tired of slouching, "Oh my goodness gracious, this is just not my day," she mumbles to herself as she exits the building. Walking down the steps she gets a good view of the lot that is just in front of her, not too far at all but with the pains it made her feel as though it would take her until nightfall to get there. Thankfully, Max was outstanding by a car, waving her over, "Nice, you're on time… for once," she joked.

"As a matter of fact, you should've been here two minutes ago; it's 12:52," he told her.

Annali checked her Omni-tool and saw it was indeed 12:52; she was supposed to be there at 12:50 which makes her late, "Well, damn me for being delayed so much with work and a very talkative co-worker. If only the universe was perfect, huh?" she nicked his chin with her nail, "Come on, we're going to be late," she told him as she stepped into the Sky-car.

"First stop: Huerta Memorial!" Max announced, getting into the driver's seat. Closing the door, he turns on the car and preps it for flight, "So…"

…

"Soooo… what?"

"Did you Juteia get up all over your grill?" he asks.

"No she did not and I still don't know what that means."

"Yeah, neither do I; he's been saying that all day, I fockin swear," all of a sudden Ranan Wenthesi pops up from behind her seat.

"KYAAAHHH! WHAT THE HELL?! Ranan? How are you- Ooohh, my stomachmystomachmystomach- oohh," she quickly clutches her belly.

"Oh, sorry about that, didn't mean to frighten you there, Annie. You okay, you didn't rupture an intestine did you?" he asks.

"No I'm… ffffuckin fine, thank you- ugh," she curses under her breath. She wanted to strangle him for scaring her like that and now the pain was even worse than before but she could feel it subsiding. It only took her a minute to get her bearings once again, though, it looked like it was taking a while.

"You okay there, Anne?" Max reached over as he gently stroked her shoulder without taking his eyes off the lane.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine- ooh spirits, Ranan, if you do that again I swear I will kill you, revive you, only to kill you later again and it will involve a cleaver and a blender," Annali threatened.

Ranan gulped audibly and nodded before quickly apologizing, "Sorry, Annali, I meant it to be a surprise but if you want me out then I'll-"

"What? NO! We're already flying, are you crazy?"

…

"Yeah maybe I should pull over to this tall building," Max began to shift towards it.

"Max!" Annali scolded him.

"Kidding, kidding, I wasn't serious, I swear," Max quickly clarified.

"Well at least I know who to go to if I need an assisted suicide," Ranan pats his shoulder.

"I got you, bro," Max and Ranan pound fists.

"I honestly can't believe you two even exist," Annali shakes her head in disbelief as she rests her head on her arm against the window, Max and Ranan laughing their asses off.

"Heh-heh, anyway, Max told me you two were headed over to Huerta Memorial so since I was in the neighborhood I decided to tag along as long as it was okay with you two," he explained.

"You didn't even ask for my opinion, Max."

"He assured me you'd be okay with it."

"Well, it doesn't matter now, does it? Regardless, it's good to see you anyway, Ranan," she turns to hug him.

"Good to see you too, Annali. Ever since Dray and Cay left to see their families I've been at it alone for a while now; hanging out at bars with some old friends and… that's about it," Ranan shrugs.

"So I guess you took this opportunity to hang out with us because you got bored with your old homies then?" Max theorizes.

"*burp* yes."

"Phoohoho- I can tell you just got out from hanging out with your "homies" too," Annali waves a hand in front of her to get rid of the alcoholic stench.

"I normally don't drink in the morning but today… is an *hic* exception," he tells her.

"What a fantastic occasion then."

"Mmmyesssnnooo, it is not; I also didn't just come on because I wanted to hang out with you guys; I came on because I also heard Tullvus was working at the hospital too," Ranan told them.

"Did you want to talk to him?" Max asks.

"Nah I came to help cure patients of disease- of course, I came to talk to him; it's been a while so I thought since you guys where here and you where also headed to the Hospital, perhaps, maybe, possibly, we could get together again for old times sakes before something, I don't know, happens," Ranan explains.

"Like what?" Annali asks.

"I don't know; what if those Cerberus crazies decide to attack the Citadel?"

"Ranan, Cerberus doesn't have the forces to take the Citadel; the fleet would decimate their landing crafts before they can even land a single man. I doubt that would ever happen," Max shrugs the idea off confidently.

Ranan simply shrugs doubtfully, "Who knows, Max, they got us pretty good with the inside attack on the Kilimanjaro. Nothing's too farfetched with them," Ranan shrugs.

"Sure, whatever you say, man," Max says.

"Can you guys just stay silent for a few minutes? My head is starting to hurt already with you dorks," Annali asks of them, resting her head on her hand.

"Sure thing, I'll stay quiet, don't pay me any mind," Ranan tells her.

"Good."

…

*click* *fsst*

" _Ugh."_

Minutes pass in silence only with the occasional slurps of Ranan drinking can after can. The Odor was starting to become a real bother to her, the constant stomach pains only fueling her anger and raising her temper. She tried to take a deep breath to calm herself down but instead got a huge whiff of his alcoholic beverage, making her almost puke at the stench, "*Blech* Spirits, can you just NOT DRINK IN THE DAMN CAR?!" Annali snaps, startling both Max and Ranan.

Ranan looked at his drink and slowly put it down in the cupholder, not willing to test her patience right now.

"Um… we're here… so…. Yeah…" Max gestured in front of them as they approached the lot for Huerta. Max carefully piloted the Sky-car out of the lane and into the opening leading into the spaces that served as parking for others.

"*Burp* man, it's been a while since I've been to Huerta, the last time I came here was 3 months ago when someone found me in an alleyway after a hard night party. Still can't remember how it happened but all I know is we partied like there was no tomorrow," Ranan explained.

"Where was the party?" Max asked.

"What party?"

"What do you mean, 'What Party'? You were just telling me."

"Really? *hic*" Max and Annali both rolled their eyes, expecting nothing less from a drunk Ranan.

"Let's just go already, I can't this anymore," Annali unlocked the door and quickly stepped out.

"Alright, Ranan, you stay here until we get back. We probably won't be too long," he tells him as he steps out.

"Oh come on, you're leaving me behind already? I won't be trouble, I promise," Ranan pleads with him.

"Yeah right, as if they're going to let the Drunkmaster inside a hospital. The second you step in you're probably going to start handing out drinks to everyone," Max tells him.

"That is not true, I would never do that *hic* because I don't know what kind of drinks they even want," Ranan explains.

Max looks over at Annali who is also looking at him in pure disappointment, "He got me in the first half, not gonna lie," she shook her head.

"*inhale* you know what, you can come with us but you'll have to stay outside the entrance to Huerta. Think you can stay there for 30 minutes?" Max asks.

"Nothing's impossible for me," he responds with a salute.

"Then let's go," he says as he pulls him out of the car. It takes a second for him to shake off the dizziness but he manages to stand up straight.

"Where to?"

"Huerta, first off; these stomach pains are starting to become a bother, I swear it's going to drive me crazy," she grunts as they walk, Max keeping close pace with her as Ranan follows.

"This only started, what, 3 days ago, and they're still bothering you? Maybe you got pregnant," as Max says that he gets an elbow to the arm.

"Pssh, yeah right; if I was pregnant I would definitely know, plus we're entirely different species; we can't have any children, you know that *grunt*" she explains with a small wince of pain.

"Mm, yeah…. unless… you were meeti- Mmf," Max is cut off by Annali's hand firmly planted over his mouth.

"Don't you dare say that you know that's not true," she instantly reads him.

Max looks left and right, then down at her, "I believe you, it's just… I couldn't imagine you actually doing that…" he scratches the back of his head awkwardly.

Annali shakes her head and looks back up at him, "I would never do that to you, Max. I couldn't live with myself if that happened and it won't. I promise you that," she pecks his lips with hers and pulls his arm close to her body, "But right now I need you to be my crutch because I'm already tired of walking and talking," she tells him.

"Aye, m' lady."

"Are yall done practicing your wedding vows, yeah? Then let's get going I got places to be, too," Ranan tried to get them to move faster as he walked past them.

As they walked past the security clearance gate they found the elevator leading to the many levels of the Citadel. Though the thought of spending some time in the Commons was enticing, they needed to avoid skipping their doctor's appointments as Max did so many times and needed to be told over on Vid Chat. Today, however, both Annali and Max needed to be there since both Dr. Gupta and Dr. Tullvus wanted to have a word with them. Annali was expecting Tullvus to have something for her to help with her stomach aches and hopefully, it would solve the issue quickly and she can finally eat her breakfast.

"Hey, uh, I'm actually going to have to meet you guys up there later; I need get something that isn't alcohol related so maybe send me the navpoint and I'll meet you outside there," Ranan tells them.

"I'm sure you're going to get your daily dose of vegetables. I'll send it to you once we're there," Max assures him.

"Awesome, I'll see you in a few," he waves as he leaves in the opposite direction.

"I'm sure he's going to get that 'vegetable' you were talking about. What was it called, again? It had something to do with… a vase or some sort of pottery, I can't remember," Annali rubbed her neck.

"It's a pot, and yes he's coming back with a completely different scent on him," he confirms as he shakes his head. Stepping inside the elevator, Max selects Huerta Memorial; the elevator gives a slight jolt as it begins to ascend up.

Annali leans herself against the wall and tilts her head back, trying to get her mind off of the pain that terrorized her inner bowels. Again, she began running the many theorizes she had previously thought where the cause hoping maybe one of them made sense if she thought more on it. But ultimately, she came right back to square one, not having the slightest of a clue as to why she was having these unbearable pains at night. She felt hungry but at the same time she felt disgusted for the thought of consuming anything at all, and her indecisiveness was making her very moody, "* _inhale followed by a sigh*_ Max," she called to him softly, crossing her arms.

"Yeah?" Max turned away from his Omni-tool to her.

Annali inhaled once again and opened her eyes, rolling them away from him and then closing, "What do you think is wrong with me?" she whispered.

Max had actually put a lot of thought into it beforehand and he had come short with only 2 theories and a joke that would absolutely kill the mood. Annali looked as though she was trying her best to suppress the pain and she just needed something to keep her mind off it. Biting his lips, he put together his best theory, possibly the most sensible one he's come up with.

"*inhale*… maybe it's because you poured milk first into the bowl and then added cereal," He blew it.

"*snort* PFFFHHAHAHAAHAHAHA, OHOHOHAAAHAHAHA!" Annali suddenly burst into laughter, clutching her belly as she found it impossible to hold it in.

"I don't know, it kinda hits you a different way than the other way around if you ask me," he shrugs.

"Heheheheh- Oooh, nonono, that's gonna hurt, oohh," Annali flinches as the consequence of her sudden movement began to punish her insides.

"It's that bad, huh?"

"It's like there's something eating me from the inside out," she takes a few deep breaths to try to relax.

"Maybe it's that mystery child trying to-"

*smack*

"DOH!" Annali cuts him off with a straight slap across the face.

"I'm NOT pregnant, how many times do I need to say it so you understand?"

"When the doctor says otherwise, that's when," Max crosses his arms and sticks his tongue to which Annali is quick to grab with her talons, turning Max's sassiness into a babyish expression, "MMAAH, NUUHUH!" Max bends down as her hand pulls him down.

"No, it's when I say otherwise," Annali stares him down, "And if I really am pregnant, which isn't probable, then… then… Mmm," Annali trails off on her sentence, seemingly at a loss for words. She really hadn't considered the 'what-if' question before and for good reason. It was just not likely for two species to cross-breed with one another and produce any viable offspring. If that was ever a thing then her life would definitely change dramatically.

Annali let him go and crossed her arms, slightly embarrassed at the thought. Max started feeling his tongue for any cuts or holes, her talons were practically hole-punchers and if she ever did pinch him with seriousness, she could definitely puncture his skin, "Ye know, you couldaf juft told me you were thenthitive (sensitive). I woulda thtopped (stopped)," Max tells her.

"*sigh* sorry, I'm just not willing to think about it too much. It's kind of a sensitive topic really," Annali says to him, her voice weary and tired.

"Why is it so sensitive? Are you really that worried something like that would happen?" Max tilted his head curiously. As he observed her facial movements, he noticed her face was a little more worried than he had originally suspected. Thinking a little back on what he said to elicit her reaction he became aware of her sudden reaction when he jokingly mentioned the possibility of child eating her from the inside out. Either she didn't like the joke of an alien bursting from her chest or she wasn't fond of having a child. The Latter being the most controversial possibility at the moment.

"I'm not worried- well, maybe I am but… I just don't think I would be ready for that IF it came to it," Annali takes a deep breath.

Max wraps an arm around and pulls her close, "If it ever came to it, don't go thinking I'll just up and leave you with a kid. Even if it wasn't mine I couldn't leave you alone," Max assures her.

This made her look up at him in shock; his heart towards her was unlike any other she had seen before. He was dedicated to her well-being even if the hypothetical offspring wasn't connected to him biologically. This made her feel more at ease and her stomach pain much less than before, he was all she needed, "Thank you, Max. I don't know what I would do without you right now," she rests her head on his chest, his warmth making her feel drowsy and sleepy.

"I'll always be there for you, through good and bad," he warmly soothes her mind.

 ***Huerta Memorial Hospital!***

The doors open to the very busy reception area of the Hospital, usually doctors and nurses tending to patients and visitors.

"Let's get off now before we look like strangers," Max motions for Annali to walk with him. Annali happily complies and walks with him wrapped in his right arm.

Walking up to the desk, Max checks with the Asari who seems to be very glued to her monitor, "Hello, I'm here to see Dr. Gupta?" he asks her but she doesn't respond immediately until he asks her again, "How's the game going?" he asks a little louder.

"OH, I-I'm sorry, I got a bit stuck in my work, my deepest apologies. How may I help you?"

"We're here for an appointment with Dr. Gupta," he tells her.

"Give me one second, please," she goes to her monitor and pulls up a tab, scanning the tab she asks, "What are your names, please?"

"Max Tereshkova and Annali Veren."

"Okay…" she scans the tab for their names and locates them at the very bottom, "Ah, yes, you two are supposed to see him for special counsel along with Dr. Tullvus. If you will, please follow me," she stands and walks around the reception desk and meets them on the other side, "Dr. Gupta and Tullvus have moved the original meeting point over to one of the more private offices," she tells them, motioning for them to follow her. Walking past the entrance to the main area, Max sees multiple doctors of various species hard at work at their stations, observing fluids of different colors and talking with their colleagues. They were usually Asari and Salarians with the notable addition of Human woman working amongst them. Humanity was still in the process of incorporating themselves into Citadel society but it was rather a slow process.

Annali eyed a few of the patients in one of the rooms and saw a human male twisting and turning in their bed, a bandage wrapped around his head and right arm. He seemed to be groaning but with the soundproofed walls it was hard to tell how loud he was. His face reminded her of Max's near death experience and how close he was to leaving the world of the living. Max had suffered through much more than she ever would, her pain was nothing compared to what he went through after his close encounter with the Yahg. Typically, she shouldn't be complaining over her stomach pain's but it was only painfully as it kept building up each time she thought about it more and it was starting to become unbearable. Hopefully, the pain wasn't anything too complicated. Perhaps she ate something she wasn't supposed and her body is simply reacting to it.

"Dr. Gupta, Max, and Annali have arrived," the Asari called to a human in a lab coat.

"Hm? Oh, Max, Annali, how have you been, It's been a while," he extends a hand towards Max to which he gladly accepts.

"It's been good so far, I haven't had any health issues whatsoever. I feel fine," Max assures him.

"Have you found it hard to breathe at all; any hyperventilation?" he asks.

"Nope."

"Well that's good to hear, that means your body is doing well with your new heart. And how about you Annali; I remember you were saying your stomach was hurting you? In what way?" he asks.

"What do you think? It's in my gut, I just feel like I need to eat but then I back away and I feel disgusted by it. I don't know why," she shrugs.

"And you still have them now?"

Her stomach growls painfully and she flinches, trying her best to hide it but fails, "*grunt* yes," she huffs out.

"Mm, well I think me and your friend, Dr. Tullvus, have found a reason for it. I just hope you two are ready for it," Dr. Gupta turns and gestures them to follow him through another door behind him.

The Large doorway splits in two and reveals another major hall leading deeper into the Hospital; multiple offices with windows can be seen lined down next door to each other. There were doctors inside talking to some people, however, it was difficult to tell when the curtains were closed in order to provide privacy. The Halls were formed into an intersection that split from left to right as well, housing more offices as well. Dr. Gupta gestured for them to take a right with him taking the lead, "We are almost there, folks. Just a little further," he assures them. Annali was already starting to get tired of walking since the pain kept coming at her with each step she made.

It wasn't long before they had reached a wooden door, which was strange as nearly every door that was installed on the citadel was literally technology but this one was a dark red mixed with brown. The knob was chrome gold and had lettering just above it, however, it was nearly uninterpretable.

Before Dr. Gupta opens the door he turns to them, "Before we go inside, I just wanted to tell you that I've invited several other of my colleagues to join us and they are inside the room."

"What? I thought it was only going to be the four of us?" Annali asks, unsure as to why there was a sudden change in company.

"They where the ones that helped me work on the restoration of Max's body and a recent discovery has us concerned about him… and your current well-being," he explains vaguely.

"This is connected to both of us?" Max asks.

"I think it's better if we all explain it to you. Please…" he opens the door and lets them enter first.

The first thing they see is a small oval shape table in the middle of the room, two large couches that encircle it and a seat placed in between them, keeping them from connecting. Behind the room is a large window revealing the bridge which was the Hospital and everything else above and below. There were three individuals standing behind a desk, apparently discussing something intelligible to their ears but as soon as Gupta closed the door behind him they turned to face them. It was Tullvus along with another Turian Doctor and an Asari Doctor as well.

"So this is Annali?" The Turian doctor asked as he scratched his chin.

"Yes, this is her and her partner, Max Tereshkova," Tullvus introduces them.

The doctors walk around the desk to greet them, The unknown Turian doctor extending a hand to greet Annali, "Greetings, Officer Veren, it is a pleasure to finally meet you in person. I am Doctor Tiberbius Drusitus but you may call me Tiberbius," he bows his head respectfully.

"The pleasure's mine, Doctor," Annali nods in return.

"And this is Maximilian Tereshkova, it is great to see you, now," he shakes Max's hand.

Makes nods in acknowledgment and sees the Asari Doctor walking up to him, "Hello, I am Doctor Phoana M'tate or Phoa if you want."

"Good to meet you. Can I ask what you're doing here?" Max asks curiously.

"Of course, we believe we have come across something previously thought impossible until Yesterday. If you may take a seat, please," she kindly asks.

Max and Annali take a seat on the right couch, Phoa sitting down to Annali's left. Tullvus sits down across from them with Tiberbius and Gupta. A moment of silence passes before Dr. Gupta pulls out a small Datapad, "Annali, you came in a few days ago saying you had stomach pains, right?" Gupta asks.

"Yes, that is correct," Annali nods.

"Okay, well, we believe we have discovered why that is but it's better if Tullvus explains from when he conducted his examination. Perhaps it will answer our suspicions. Go ahead," he gestured towards Tullvus.

"Thank you. After recent analyzations of your vitals, I discovered something completely out of the ordinary and I wasn't sure if it was the machines mistake or the way I conducted my procedure but I found you showed signs of malnutrition. Have you not been eating recently?" Tullvus asks.

Annali wasn't very reluctant to answer, she was somewhat embarrassed to answer no but regardless answered honestly, "I haven't been eating much recently. Every time I try I simply back away from it in disgust, it's like my body had second thoughts or something," she explains.

Tullvus nods and looks to Gupta to which he marks something off his Datapad, "Have you found it hard to concentrate in your daily routine?" Tullvus asks.

"How can you concentrate when your gut keeps eating you from the inside?" Tullvus nods. Gupta marks off.

"Have you been vomiting or feeling nauseous recently?" he asks.

"Yes." Tullvus nods to Gupta. He marks off.

"Have you had any behavioral disorders at all?" he asks.

"Plenty… when no one was around that is," Annali blushes. Tullvus nods slowly to which Gupta nods in response.

Gupta passes the Datapad to Tullvus, he reads it and shows to Tiberbius, to which he nods in agreement. Tullvus takes a deep breath and speaks, "From what you've told me I guess we can be sure to continue on to you Dr. Gupta if you will," he nods to him.

"Very well, um, Max when I first started work on your body I was unsure as to how we were going to balance out the hormonal chaos between your human genes and the infused Turian ones. Your superiors authorized the usage of the mysterious substance your partner had recovered from wherever you found it. With it, we discovered we could regrow your body by using it to 3d print separate key internal organs that harbored the same hormonal irregularity as your body. Which meant we could literally recreate you from the ground up. Your blood was infused with the STEM Cells of the substance and in turn, it rewrote everything so that your body would accept the altered chemicals. As we were printing everything, we had the idea that your original genes would remain the same since we used Human STEM cells to help strengthen your Chromosomal bands so that we could later read them to make sure there were no other abnormalities. When we did that we discovered there was one major abnormality that affected your entire body," Gupta paused for a moment, clearing his throat he continued, "I'm sure you remember what I said about your DNA, right?" he asks.

"Yes, I still think about it sometimes. What about it?"

"*inhale* well, when I said you couldn't have any children with a woman anymore, I failed to see the unique gift your gene's now carried. You cannot fertilize a Human Egg cell, not anymore. But… as it turns out, your genes are very compatible with…" Gupta nearly choked on his words, unsure as to whether to continue or stall for as long as possible.

"Go on," Tiberbius elbowed him.

"*sigh* Max, your genes are capable of forming a Zygote with a Turian," Gupta spills the beans.

The room fell dead silent, Max's eyes went wide in complete shock; after all of those jokes about having a child with Annali, he was not prepared to hear that it was an option. The STEM Cells had saved his life but in turn, changed it forever.

Annali couldn't even speak, she couldn't believe what had just been told them. If Max could fertilize a Turian Egg Cell then she would…

"W-wait, how can this be p-possible? The STEM Cells where made to only regrow his body how could it change his chemistry?" Annali asks, wanting further proof.

"There was a part that also needed to be "replaced." I'm sure you know what that was," Gupta told her without giving it away.

"In order for everything to function as it did before we needed to synthesize and produce his reproductive organs and reprogram everything down to the most minute detail. His sperm is now capable of fertilizing a Turian Egg Cell with no signs of rejection. I have never seen anything like it, in all of my years of Xenoscience, I never thought such a thing would be possible outside of Asari reproductive capabilities. Which brings us to our next topic…" Phoa gestures towards Tiberbius.

"Right. Annali, have you… had any, pardon me for asking this but have you had any sexual intercourse with Mr. Tereshkova, by any chance?" he crosses his arms uncomfortably.

Annali was hesitant to answer, it typically wasn't a question she would typically give an answer to but for some reason, she already knew his response after her answer. Taking a deep breath, she tightly grasped Max's hand as he did in return before replying, "Y-Yes…"

Tiberbius nods, acknowledging her response, "Then I guess it is safe to say we know the cause of your stomach pains and it is a very common thing for a Female Turian to go through these symptoms when they are early in their pregnancy."

Max suddenly fell limp as he fell against the couch unconscious, his head hanging over the backrest. Dr. Gupta quickly got up to assess him as Phoa tried her best to keep Annali from collapsing to the floor, her eyes turned into a waterfall of tears.

"Hey guys, what's going…" at that moment Ranan walked into the room, seemingly he had found the room they were in and his arms were not empty. He had found two pots of Marijuana plants that Max had introduced him to before. Before he could say anything else he stopped himself, first seeing Annali bawling her eyes out and Max, for some reason, sleeping on the couch, "I'll…. come back later…" he slowly closed the door.

"Was that Ranan?" Tullvus asks.

[

It took a while for Max to fully recover from his sudden faint, his head still groggy and limp, and Annali was still crying in disbelief. She couldn't believe this was actually happening, against all odds, against nature itself, a Human was able to have sex and impregnate another being of a completely different species. Of course, it wouldn't be strange if a Turian had a child with an Asari but this would be the first instance a Human would have a child with a Turian, and she was that person. The more she thought about it the more cried. For what reason? She didn't even know why she was crying; was it for happiness, was it for sorrow? So many mixed feelings had left her confused and afraid. Annali didn't know what to do and she had a feeling neither did the doctors, " _Oh Spirits… Oh, Mother, what do I do? I never thought this would happen… how could this have happened? What do I do? What do I do? What do…"_ before she could finish, she realized something. She remembered something, a flashback.

When her mother was still alive.

" _Annali, it's time…"_ she heard her mothers voice; so soothing and comforting, she felt as though she could sleep on her words.

" _*sigh* I don't know why you have to leave… again,"_ Annali sighed sadly, knowing her mother's military leave was over.

Her mother smiled warmly and bent down to her level, " _I leave because I want to protect you, I want to support you but sometimes I need to leave if I want to do both. Perhaps one day when you grow up like me and you have a family of your own, I pray your partner will be as hardworking as most. You will find the right one and you may not know it until they show it to you; how hard they will work for your family, how much they will support you…"_ she plants a kiss on Annali's forehead, _"-and how much they will love you. Do not be afraid for it is fear that weakens the bonds of your relationship,"_ she pulls Annali in for a hug, her scent calming Annali, _"Cherish the precious moments of your life and never forget who will catch you when you fall. Goodbye, Annali."_

" _Goodbye… I love-"_

Annali comes back to reality, her tears gone and her pains gone. She looks over to Max, realizing and remembering what her mother had instilled in her, "-you…" she reached over to him, placing on his cheek, caressing his smooth skin. Max's eyes fluttered back to reality, lazily looking over to her and then widening, the memories had flooded back in.

"Oh good, you're finally awake, now. Try and listen this time, please," he helped Max sit back up, Annali wrapping an arm around him to hold him by her side. Max had shown her his strong love for her and many times he had lied to protect her even when his life was on the line. Max was always there for her and she saw no reason he wouldn't be there later. Her mother knew she would find the right person and she was happy it was him.

"Sit up, silly, you're being overreactive," she hugged him with a smile, eliciting a small smile from the other doctors.

"I'm sorry this was all so sudden but it needed to be said, otherwise you'd find out the hard way," Tiberbius explained.

"I think we already did," she told them, shaking Max gently.

"Perhaps. This is something that has never happened before between two different species other than the Asari. I think this is the one and only case of a Human and Turian actually produce offspring. Though, it may be the only one of its kind when it arrives. I won't say "if" so as to not jinx it because, well, fuck fate," Tiberbius joked.

"I have to agree with Tiberbius, this must stay a secret between you two until we announce it ourselves. The press will be definitely be pressing you to give the full story on how you two met and so on and so forth. For the time being, I would suggest you take it easy, Annali. These pains will stick around for another few days, 3 at the most but if they persist for more than that feel free to contact me or any one of us for assistance, however, I get the feeling you will be left in good hands," Phoa gestures toward dizzy Max.

"I am, thank you," Annali smiles in return.

"Hey," Phoa hugs Annali, "Congratulations," she congratulates her.

"*chuckles* thank you, Doctor Phoa."

"Well, this turned out better than I thought, I'll escort you two out to the closest parking lot so you two can get home safely," Tullvus suggests.

"I will go too, I can't let my patient go unattended," Phoa joins.

"What, you think I can't take care of them myself?" Tullvus asks a little hurt.

"I'm just saying you might need another hand is all," she shrugs with a smile.

"Mm," Tullvus grunts, unconvinced.

Annali manages to wake Max up fully as the Doctors converse in the background. Phoa helps him up, handing him over to Tullvus to which he slings Max's arm over his shoulder just in case he decides to take a nap. Phoa helps Annali and leads the way out into the hall, where Ranan is lying on the floor sound asleep with his two pots just right of the door. Tullvus notices him and lightly kicks his legs, "Hey get up, this is no Hotel, this is a Hospital. Come on," he nudges him.

"MmmNnnnAAGH, alright-alright, I'm up *yawn* Spirits, what time is it?" Ranan stretches his arms out.

"It's time for you to leave, now get your ass up. Spirits, what the hell happened to you? I knew you where on leave but I get the feeling you where kicked out," Tullvus looks him up and down.

"Nah… I just have too much time on my hands is all. So, uh, what happened in there; everyone was crying, well, Annali was but why was Max unconscious?" he asks, getting up.

"Not the time to answer that, right now. Come on, I'll call you a cab to take you home," he tells him as he guides Max to follow Phoa and Annali.

"Oop, hold up, I'm coming," Ranan cries out before grabbing his plants and running after them.

After a short elevator ride down to the lower level, Tullvus guides them to the cab line and acquires a cab for Max and Annali. The car is self-driving so it will be able to deliver Max and Annali to their destination, "Very well, here we are now. I've typed your address into the computer so you will have no trouble getting home. Max, you better take care of her, you understand me?" he snaps his fingers at his face to get him to wake up.

"Hey-hey, I'm up, damn. I'll be sure she gets everything she needs, don't worry," Max reassures him.

"Good, and hey…" he grabs Max's hand and shakes it, "Congratulations, you've done so much for her in the past and I know you'll do more in the future, take care and I'll be seeing you around."

"Thanks, see ya later, then," Max smiles.

"Take care of yourself now and do not give in to your cravings when they come okay? You'll be eating the nastiest combinations ever you wouldn't believe you even had the guts to swallow them," Phoa advises her.

"Well I'm sure that version of me would say otherwise, *chuckles*," Annali laughs along with Phoa.

"Very well, then, I'll let you go now, I expect to see you soon. Goodbye," she hugs Annali.

"Heh-heh, I'll see you soon as well, then. And thank you for your advice, I'll take it to heart," Annali returns the hug.

"I'm sure you will, take care now," they separate. Max helps Annali into the cab and sits down next to her as the doors close. The Car begins to levitate and float off the edge before moving to merge into the lane of traffic.

"I guess that's that, then. I'm ready to go home now," Tullvus cracks his knuckles.

"I would love to go home but I still have patients to tend to so…" Phoa begins to explain as they walk away back into the building.

…

"Wait… what about me?" Ranan turns around, confused.

[

During the ride home, Annali nudges herself closer to Max, wanting to feel his bodily warmth. Max felt this and wrapped his left arm over her, bringing her even closer. The feelings they had towards one another had suddenly changed and the air between them felt much different. For a long time, it had only been boyfriend and girlfriend but now it felt as though their relationship had evolved much farther than that. It was going to be a little bigger.

"Max?"

"Mm?"

Annali scootched up a little closer to him before speaking, "We're… going to be a family, right?" she asked nervously.

The question made Max's heart beat faster, it was somewhat nerve breaking to think he was going to become a father but at the same time, he felt excited that he was going to have a child of his own. These mixed feelings were going to dictate how he handled the days ahead but at the moment he needed to be there for Annali. With a smile, he replied, "Of course we are. There's nothing that will ever change that fact. You, me, and our new life," he reassured her.

His answer made her feel much warmer inside but she still harbored doubt, "But…" she began to say.

"But what?" Max asked.

"But what if…" she couldn't bring herself to say it to him but she wanted his opinion, "What if our child doesn't turn out the way we want it to be? What if it doesn't s-" Max places a finger on her lips, already knowing where she was getting at and he didn't want to hear it.

Max cupped her chin his hand and raised her up to him, her eyes watery with tears, "Don't say that, not now and not ever."

B-But-"

"No!" he cut her off, "To say she might not turn out the way we think is something my Uncle and Aunt told me never to mention. To let it come into this galaxy with high expectations will just spoil it, it might become something we never intended it to be. Sure it might look different than everyone else but the difference is that no one will ever be able to compare it in any other way because it will always be special in its own way and we need to teach it that," Max gently rubs her belly, taking away some of the pain away from her before continuing, "It might be a he or it might be a she but it will always be our special," he plants a small kiss on her forehead. Annali closes her eyes, letting the tears fall to the side and fall from her mandible. She nuzzles her head in between head and shoulders, inhaling his sweet scent reminded her of how her mother smelled and it always made her smile. Max was right, she didn't need to have any expectations, it was up to her to teach her son or daughter how to fit in their own way into society and she was willing to do everything in her power to protect her and care for her. And she knew Max would do the same for them.

"Yes…" she agreed with him, looking up as he looked down she locked lips with his, the feeling of bliss and love filled her mind knowing Max would be there for her. For them, " _Our special."_

 **Hey there guys, sorry it's been a while. College came down hard on me and I've been writing lab reports and essays since the last time I posted a chapter. All of that writing has been really draining and I could only write a few things before I couldn't force myself to go on. Which is why this is being posted this April. This was originally going to be longer but seeing the huge time gap in between chapters I needed to cut this down.**

 **We are nearly done with the story and to those who have stuck around since the beginning, I thank you for following Max and Annali on their adventure. I'm sure you liked this story not just because of the sex but because of the journey they've gone through. Or maybe it was just for the sex. Either way, I was in it for both. Lol.**

 **I'll be getting to work on the next with the time that I have depending on my workload. Hopefully, things will get better as time goes on but we'll see for sure. As always, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and have a nice day.**

 **Also, Good Friday. If you celebrate it, that is.**

 **Bye :l**


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